A NEW strain of the Delta variant, previously known as the Indian variant, of coronavirus has been confirmed in the UK.

This comes with Blackburn with Darwen particularly hard hit, with over 2,700 cases of the Delta variant confirmed in the borough as of June 16.

Public Health England has now confirmed that 169 cases of the new Delta plus strain have been detected since the first case was identified on May 21, however officials have not yet specified where the cases where found.

Speaking to the BBC, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center virologist Dr Jeremy Kamil said: "We don't have much reason to believe this is any more dangerous than the original Delta."

He added: "Delta plus might have a slight advantage at infecting and spreading between people who were previously infected earlier during the pandemic or who have weak or incomplete vaccine immunity.

"I would keep calm, I don't think India or anyone else in the world has released or accumulated enough data to distinguish the risk from the so-called Delta plus as being more dangerous or concerning than the original Delta variant."

Blackburn with Darwen, along with many other East Lancashire boroughs have been consistently amongst the most infected areas in England since the crisis began.

Having been subject to local lockdowns and various restrictions, public health officials will aim to ensure that the vaccination programme continues in order to meet the challenges posed by new variants like Delta Plus.

The new strain was first labelled as a variant of concern in India after being detected in three states.

The mutated strain of coronavirus has been found in 16 people in Maharashtra with more cases in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.

It is still labelled a variant under investigation in the UK as the Delta variant is still the most common in the UK making up more than 99 per cent of reported Covid-19 cases.

India's Union Health Ministry said Delta Plus shows increased transmissibility - meaning it spreads even more easily than other strains.

It also appears to attack lung cells more easily and could be resistant to a form of antibody therapy.

The mutation of the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) is officially named AY.1.

It carries the K417N, seen in the Beta variant, which is believed to affect vaccine efficacy.