The U.K. is battling to contain a highly contagious Covid variant first discovered in India so it can follow through with plans to fully reopen on June 21. Authorities have identified 2,323 cases of the Indian strain of coronavirus in the U.K., Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday. It represents a far more rapid rate of transmission than other variants, including B.1.351, first detected in South Africa. That’s according to the latest data from Public Health England, which showed the Indian strain had more than doubled in a week. The government has limited entry for travelers from India. Hancock has tried to reassure the public, saying there is no evidence the new variant is deadlier than others. He also said on Sunday that early data show vaccines do appear to work against the strain. Government advisers estimate it could be about 40%-50% easier to transmit than the so-called Kent variant, the most prevalent in the U.K. with 242,571 confirmed cases since it emerged in December, according to Public Health England. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake