Up to 20 cases of the Indian coronavirus strain have been detected across Kent in a week - with one district recording the highest number in the south east.

The variant continues to spread in the north west of England, sparking fears the lifting of lockdown next month could be stalled - despite the success of the country's vaccination programme.

And now new data suggests the Indian strain is starting to gain a foothold in Kent, and could soon become the county's dominant variant.

But with almost one million people in Kent having had at least one vaccine dose - and the majority of the most vulnerable groups both - the county's hospitals remain virtually free of Covid patients.

However, the government remains cautious about the impact of a third coronavirus wave, despite being confident the vaccine works against the Indian variant.

To track the spread of it more quickly, scientists have been testing positive Covid samples for something known as the S gene, which is not present in the Kent variant but is detected in the Indian strain.

Of almost 400 national cases found to have the S gene this month, 93% were determined to be the Indian strain after full genomic sequencing.

In the week up to May 8 there were 250 positive Covid cases across Kent.

Of these, 80 samples were sent for laboratory testing, with 20 shown to have the S gene.

Nine of these were in Canterbury - the highest of anywhere in the south east.

Just 10 samples from the district were tested, with the 90% 'strike rate' suggesting the variant is already the most dominant in Canterbury.

Elsewhere in Kent, the S gene was detected in samples in Dartford (4), Ashford (2), Tunbridge Wells (2), Maidstone (1), Folkestone and Hythe (1), and Sevenoaks (1).

But the numbers are still way below those found in the north west, where Bolton (350), Blackburn (110) and Sefton (105) top the national table.

In Bolton, 6,200 people were vaccinated over the weekend as the area experienced a surge in the number of people booking in for jabs.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday that the "majority" of those being hospitalised with the Indian strain have been those in the higher priority groups who had not taken up their vaccine offer.

In Kent, 980,795 people - 68% of all adults - have now had at least one dose, while 608,262 (42%) are fully vaccinated.

The county's infection rate is also the lowest it has been since September, and on May 11 just eight people in Kent's hospitals had Covid - a tiny fraction of the 1,218 coronavirus patients on January 4.

Just two Covid deaths have been recorded in the county in May. In January there were 1,456.

Public Health England confirmed there has been an increase in new variants – including the Indian strain – across the south east, but numbers remain "relatively low".

Its deputy director for health protection in the south east, Trish Mannes, said: "We are seeing lots of small separate clusters across the region, the vast majority of which are linked to international travel or household transmission.

"In response, we are working closely with local public health teams and local authority partners to increase targeted and community testing where needed and implement whole genome sequencing and enhanced contact tracing where cases have been identified.

"The best thing everyone can do to avoid catching or spreading this and all variants is to get tested, get vaccinated when offered and keep to the basics of Hands, Face, Space and Fresh Air.

"This will be increasingly important as restrictions ease further and we begin to socialise indoors."

"At the moment in Kent we are not seeing anything like the activity in other places of the country, particularly the north west of the country and London.”

Alison Duggal, Kent County Council’s interim director of public health, said the county was ready if more cases of the variant were detected, particularly given its proximity to London.

“We are close to a large city and we are aware of variant activity," she said. "But we know that in Kent we are really good at working with the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England, so when one of these variants are identified, we are straight into making people aware and get tested; making sure when people are tested, the results are sequenced so we get a really accurate picture.

"At the moment in Kent we are not seeing anything like the activity in other places of the country, particularly the north west of the country and London.”

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