Another record rise in India deaths; samples show UK is most affected by B.1.617 strain outside India; Taiwan outbreak ‘could lead to tighter curbs’
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9.25am BST
Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Lancashire director of public health, has been out and about in the media this morning, and said there needs to be a focus stopping coronavirus variants being imported to the UK from amber-listed countries.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about variants being brought into the UK from other countries such as India, PA report he said: “Particularly amber-listed countries, which we anticipate the volume of traffic is going to be higher, is where I think we need to focus. Now it is India but the situation across the world is very fragile and dynamic so it could be any other country.”
9.08am BST
A rapid rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine across the UK’s four nations lifted GDP by 2.1% in March, helping prevent a steep fall during the first three months of the year, according to official figures.
The economy retreated by a better than expected 1.5% during the first quarter of 2021 as the successful vaccine programme allowed the government to begin easing restrictions while businesses adapted to the constraints at a quicker pace than expected.
Related: UK GDP rebounds with 2.1% growth in March after school reopening – business live