AN INTERACTIVE map has revealed how the Indian variant of Covid-19 is spreading across the country.

The map released today shows where the Indian variant of coronavirus is spreading the fastest after data showed the mutant virus is dominant in 23 towns, sparking fears that the government's plan to ease all coronavirus restrictions on June 21 may be in jeopardy.

There has been a 44 per cent increase in the number of areas in England detecting the Indian variant over the past week.

The variant - B.1.617.2 - was found in 127 out of 314 local authorities in the week ending May 8, up from 71 in the week before.

However, most areas have less than five cases.

Several cases have been identied in Essex. 

In Chelmsford, the strain has been identified in at least seven households.

One case has been found in Colchester, with another believed to have been identified in Southend. 

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The data shows Indian variant hotspots in London, some parts of the south and Midlands, and across much of north west – particularly in Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen.

The most infected area in England is Bolton, with an average number of weekly Indian variant cases of 210, according to the institute’s analysis of fully processed cases over the past fortnight.

Here is the map, produced by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, using official data:

Almost 3,000 cases of the Indian variant have been identified in the UK – up from the 2,323 declared on Monday – and surge testing has been announced in a number of areas in a bid to control its spread.

Prof Van-Tam told a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday: “I pitch this personally as a straight race between the transmissibility of this new variant … and vaccine delivery.

“The NHS is doing everything it can to turbo-boost that, and that is the challenge that’s ahead of us in the next two to three to four weeks, to make sure that we outrun the virus through really vigorous pull-through on vaccine delivery.”

Prof Van-Tam said scientists would have more information by next week on how transmissible the Indian variant is versus the Kent strain, which has become dominant in the UK.

Experts had feared it could be up to 50% more transmissible, but the Government adviser suggested studies could find it is only half that.

The spread of the variant of concern had cast doubt on next month’s plans to ease the remaining restrictions in England, but Boris Johnson told the Commons his administration had “increasing confidence” that vaccines would prove effective against it.