The UK health secretary says the government is still 'a long, long, long way' from Covid cases being low enough to lift England's lockdown during an interview on Sky's Sophy Ridge though there is early evidence restrictions are starting to bring infections down.
The NHS's pressure is 'enormous,' which has consequences for people with other illnesses, he adds.
In his words, scientists think the new variant maybe 10% more dangerous.
He added that decreased social communication and following the rules is the only way to control the virus outbreak.
The Guardianreports that the British coronavirus variant maybe even 50% dangerous.
The number of people infected with the novel coronavirus has reached 3,617,459 since the pandemic outbreak, with 97,329 deaths.
