Expert says that UK could face ‘100,000 new Covid cases a day’ by July if restrictions are lifted

Scientists estimate that the Delta variant is the cause of 96 per cent of all new coronavirus cases.

The latest figures from Public Health England (PHE) show there have been 42,323 cases of the Delta variant confirmed in the UK, up by 29,892 from the previous week.

It estimates the strain is 60 per cent more transmissible compared with the previously dominant Alpha variant, and that cases are doubling every four-and-a-half days in some parts of England.

‘100,000 new cases a day’

The UK could face Covid infections of more than 100,000 a day if lockdown easing goes ahead, according to a member of Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

Professor Anthony Costelle, of University College London, said that the real number of new infections was likely to be twice the 8,000 new daily cases found by tests.

Speaking to The Mirror, he said: “In a month you’ll be up to 100,000 new cases a day. If the Government takes a gamble and lets rip like the Tory backbenchers want, the NHS will be overloaded.

“Let’s wait. Let’s stay as we are.”

The latest polling from market researcher Opinium showed that 54 per cent of the public would favour a delay in lifting restrictions, compared to the 37 per cent against.

Government will proceed ‘carefully and cautiously’

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said that the Government will be proceeding “carefully and cautiously” when it comes to lifting restrictions in England.

Speaking to Sky News’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday programme, Raab said: “We are in a race to roll out the second dose of vaccine against the variants.

“We need to sift the data very carefully. We have done a great job with the vaccine rollout, but, as the PM said, we want to proceed irreversibly.