The World Health Organization said this week that variants of the coronavirus are causing another increase in infections across Europe.
Why does it matter: European countries reported about 1 million new cases last week, about an increase of 9% over the previous week. Last week’s increase ended a six-week drop in new infections, the WHO said on Thursday, according to the AP.
By the numbers: The variant initially found in the UK, which may be more transmissible and deadly than the original strain of the virus, is spreading across 27 European countries monitored by WHO, according to the AP.
- It is now the dominant strain in at least 10 countries: Britain, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Israel, Spain and Portugal.
- Meanwhile, the variant discovered for the first time in South Africa was found in 26 European countries. Vaccine producers Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax reported that their vaccines, while still effective, offer less protection against the South African variant.
- The Brazilian variant, detected in 15 European countries, may be able to reinfect people who have survived infections with previous versions of the coronavirus, according to Reuters.
The big picture: The Italian government has tightened restrictions on coronavirus in some of its 20 regions this week in response to the increase.