THE Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to hold a coronavirus press conference later on today, according to PA.

The PM is reportedly set to address the nation in a televised press briefing scheduled at 5pm today.

It comes as India was added to the UK's red list of places forbidden to travel following a rise in emerging variants here.

The PM is also expected to provide an update on the UKs battle against the Covid pandemic so far.

Earlier today, a public health expert said the decision to place India on the red list was necessary following an "upward trend" in cases.

Sharon Peacock, the head of the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) and professor of public health and microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said it was currently unclear whether the variant first identified in India was behind its current wave, but there was enough concern to warrant slowing the number of cases coming.

On Monday, the PM was forced to cancel a trip to India while Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons that 103 cases of the variant had been identified in the UK so far.

However, Public Health England experts are currently unsure whether any of the mutations mean the variant can be transmitted more easily, is more deadly or can evade the effectiveness of vaccines or natural immunity.

Prof Peacock said more work was needed to determine whether the variant should move from being one under investigation, as at present, to a variant of concern.

“This is an important step in controlling further introduction of this variant into the UK,” she said.

“The number of B.1.617 genomes detected in the UK has risen in the last three weeks.

“Even though this is at or less than 1 per cent of the genomes sequenced in the UK overall, the upward trend in cases warrants action whilst ongoing uncertainties over the level of threat posed by this variant are evaluated.

“Public Health England indicated on Sunday that a few cases are not linked to travel – but the vast majority of cases have been in people who have travelled.

“Contact tracing, testing and genomic surveillance of people with Covid-19 will provide essential information on the extent of transmission in the UK that is no longer related to travel (community transmission), which will in turn inform public health actions.”

She said India is currently witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases.