The World Health Organization said this week that coronavirus variants are causing a further rise in infections across Europe.
Why it’s important: European countries reported about a million new cases last week, 9% more than the previous week. Last week’s increase ended a six-week drop in new infections, according to the WHO on Thursday, according to AP.
By numbers: The first variant found in the UK, which may be more transmissible and more deadly than the original strain of the virus, extends to 27 European countries controlled by the WHO, according to AP.
- It is now the dominant strain in at least ten countries: Britain, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Israel, Spain and Portugal.
- Meanwhile, the variant first discovered in South Africa has been found in 26 European countries. Vaccine producers Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax have reported that their vaccines, despite being effective, offer less protection against the South African variant.
- According to Reuters, the Brazilian variant, detected in 15 European countries, can reinfect people who survived infections with previous versions of the coronavirus.
The big picture: The Italian government has tightened coronavirus restrictions in some of its 20 regions this week in response to the rise.