London (CNN) Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted Thursday that his government was "anxious" about the coronavirus variant first identified in India, as the number of UK cases of the strain more than doubled in a week. The UK government's scientific advisers were meeting Thursday to discuss the variant amid growing concerns it could jeopardize England's plan to lift all legal limits on social contact from June 21. Johnson said he remained "cautiously optimistic" about England's plan to drop restrictions but that his government was "ruling nothing out." The WHO declared B.1.617 a "variant of concern" this week and said some evidence suggests it may be more transmissible than other strains. The UK has reported more cases of B.1.617 and its sublineages than any other country outside India, according to the WHO.

Source: CNN May 13, 2021 18:56 UTC