UK records ZERO Covid deaths for the first time since the pandemic began but cases rise by 26% in battle against strains

BRITAIN has recorded ZERO Covid deaths for the first time since the pandemic began.

The number brings hope lockdown will be fully eased by June 21 despite criticism from experts.

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And it shows how the Herculean vaccine rollout has brought hope to the UK despite rising cases of the Indian variant of Covid.

It is the first time no daily deaths have been announced in any of the four nations by the government since before the pandemic began.

There was a day in July last year when zero deaths were reported but this was added to the official Covid database retrospectively after they changed their data to within 28 days of a positive test.

The latest figures also show 3,165 new cases, compared with 3,383 on Monday and 2,493 one week ago.

JAB SUCCESS

And a further 93,103 people had their first dose of a Covid vaccine yesterday taking the total to 39,477,158.

The figures also show 195,546 people had their second jab on Monday - meaning 25,734,719 Brits have now been fully vaccinated.

It comes amid concerns from some experts that the June 21 lockdown easing could be delayed due to the rise in Indian variant Covid cases.

But today, Downing Street indicated a defiant Boris Johnson sees nothing in the data to suggest this month's axing of Covid restrictions should be delayed.

The PM has been urged to forge ahead with binning all restrictions later this month amid mounting concerns over the spread of the Indian variant.

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Tory MPs and business chiefs are pleading with him to stick to his guns and keep to the final date in his roadmap.

They say many small firms including shops, pubs, and restaurants are struggling to survive due to the current curbs on how they can operate.

And they insist there is no reason to put off fully opening up the country thanks to the success of the vaccine rollout.

Some boffins have called for this month's great unlocking to be delayed by a month.

And today a minister warned the fight against Covid is "not like a movie where you kill the baddie" and then "roll credits".

Ex Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the PM must fight back against "an organised push by a group of scientists to stop June 21".

The influential backbencher said the low numbers of deaths and hospitalisations means waiting any longer isn't justified.

He told TalkRadio: "These figures are calculated on the back on an envelope. There is no actual fact that says we shouldn't unlock on the 21st."

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But some experts have warned a third Covid wave may already be underway in the UK as infections continue to rise in some parts of the country.

Professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Martin McKee said: "We can already see that the current measures are not stopping cases rising rapidly in many parts of the country.

"This looks very much as if we are now early in a third wave,” he told .

Mass testing is being carried out in Canterbury amid the rise in cases of the Indian Covid variant.

BOLTON CASES FALL

Meanwhile, Bolton has seen its Covid infection rate plunge more than 10 per cent in less than a week.

A ramped-up vaccination drive and mass testing has led to a huge drop in cases in the Covid hotspot Lancashire town in a four-day period.

The Indian strain is behind almost three quarters of all cases in the UK and has been found in more than 250 of England's 300-plus authorities. 

Health chiefs have now ditched Covid names ‘India’ and ‘Kent’ amid fears they spark hate crime.

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The World Health Organisation spent months painstakingly wrangling over the new titles, eventually renaming Kent ‘Alpha’ and Indian Covid ‘Delta’ after the Greek alphabet.

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Prof Mark Pallen, one of the boffins dishing out the names, said plans to rebrand the variants Apollo and Artemis were axed over fears the carnage of the ancient myths would panic people.

He said the original names were ditched over fears they “stigmatise” groups and would spark “hate crimes”.

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