Europe Watches With Worry As Delta Variant Spreads Fast In The U.K. And Lisbon

A worrying spike of coronavirus infections in Europe is being driven by the Delta variant, according to global health leaders, even as immunization rates in some countries are on the way up.

Increased cases reported in the U.K. and Portugal have forced officials to reimplement lockdown restrictions or hold off on lifting pandemic mandates. Officials in France, Germany, and Spain say they are closely monitoring clusters of infection tied to the Delta variant.

The strain, also known as B.1.617.2 was first detected in India. It is now “well on its way to becoming the dominant variant globally because of its increased transmissibility,” World Health Organization’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said Friday.