The UK could be at the start of a third wave of coronavirus, a professor from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has said.
Professor Andrew Hayward, an infectious diseases expert at University College London, said he was “very concerned” about the Indian variant due to its ability to spread quickly.
He also said the UK should not “waste the opportunity” offered by vaccination by allowing people to travel widely.
Asked on BBC Breakfast if the country was at the start of the third wave, he said: “I think so.
“I think what we can see is that this strain can circulate very effectively, although it was originally imported through travel to India, it’s spread fairly effectively first of all within households and now more broadly within communities, so I don’t really see why it wouldn’t continue to spread in other parts of the country.
“Obviously we’re doing everything we can to contain the spread of that, but it’s likely that more generalised measures may start to be needed to control it.”
Speaking in a personal capacity about the Indian variant,…
