UK expert calls for caution after end of lockdown

The government should take a "cautious" approach to its plan to lift all coronavirus restrictions in England on 21 June, a top expert said Saturday.

The warning came from Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

He said the government would need to be "very careful" when reviewing data as it emerges over the next two weeks, given the number of people particularly vulnerable to the virus who haven't been fully vaccinated.

"This virus is highly agile, and the epidemiology - that's the frequency and distribution of disease - changes almost on a daily basis," he noted.

People "need to remain cautious because of the transmissibility of this particular variant", Harden said, referring to the variant first identified in India.

This variant is believed to be responsible for up to three quarters of all new cases in the UK and is more transmissible than the previously dominant strain of the virus.

58% of the British population have had at least one vaccine dose, and around 35% have had two.

The U.K. vaccination program started with the oldest age groups and aims to have offered a jab to all adults by the end of July.