Boris Johnson insisted the coronavirus lockdown is working and vaccines are effective on current variants
The PM warned that it is still too early to take our foot off the throat of the beast by easing curbs at this stage
He said he was optimistic Britons will be able to go on summer holidays this year but did not give schedule
Two cases of South African strain not linked to travel found in Surrey with surge testing scheme under way
Dr Mike Tildesley said vaccination rollout could mean lockdown starting to be eased sometime next month
COVID-19: Surge testing rolled out in parts of Surrey after South Africa variant found in cases with no travel links iwradio.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iwradio.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
There have been 11 cases of the variant identified across England with no links to travel.
Two positive cases of the strain – which have been worrying scientists – have been identified in people in Surrey with no links to travel or previous contact with those affected.
Ealing Council has also asked residents living and working in parts of Hanwell and West Ealing to get a Covid-19 test after a local resident tested positive for the South African strain, also with no travel links or previous contact.
In Kent, one case has also been identified with no previous links, meaning door-to-door coronavirus testing in the ME15 area of mid-Kent has now started.
2 Cases of South African Virus Variant in South of England Without Travel Links
Two people in the south of England have tested positive for the South African variant of the CCP virus the first such cases with no identified links to travel from the country.
The discovery in Surrey sparked the rollout of local “surge testing” of thousands of people as local authorities try to stem the spread of the more transmissible variant.
“Residents in the affected areas, and across Woking, should remain calm and continue to follow the national restrictions that are currently in place,” Surrey County Council said in a statement.
Households in the Goldsworth Park and St John areas of Woking will asked to carry out a COVID-19 test regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. And the scheme is expected to be extended to Egham within the next few days.
The “surge testing” programme is to closely monitor any community spread of the new variant and to restrict further transmission, according to Surrey’s Local Resilience Forum.
There is currently no evidence the variant, known as VOC-202012/02, causes more severe illness or is more resistant to current coronavirus vaccines.
“This is a precautionary measure - the more cases of the variant we find, the better chance we have at stopping it from spreading further,” director of Public Health for Surrey Ruth Hutchinson said in a statement.