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 The new COVID-19 variants discovered initially in the United Kingdom
and South Africa are rapidly spreading globally.
The novel coronavirus has picked up pace in the past few months with
about one-third of total cases registered in the last 48 days,
according to a Reuters tally. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)
Europe, which became the first region to report 25 million cases
last week, remains the worst-affected area in the world, followed by
North and Latin Americas with 22.4 million and 16.3 million cases
respectively.
Europe has reported around 31% of about 1.93 million coronavirus-related
deaths globally.
The United Kingdom, the worst-affected European country, crossed 3
million cases last Friday.
The nation is on course to have immunized its most vulnerable people
against COVID-19 by mid-February and plans to offer a shot to every
adult by autumn.
To control the spread of new coronavirus variant, countries across
the globe have started to extend movement and business restrictions.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers last week
agreed to restrict non-essential travel for residents of hard-hit
areas all over Germany for the first time, after a lockdown decreed
in December failed to significantly reduce infection numbers.
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 French authorities imposed a
stricter evening curfew in Marseille after
authorities said the new variant of the COVID-19
virus initially found in the UK had been
discovered in the Mediterranean city.
The United States, world's worst affected country, reported its
highest death toll on Wednesday, with over 4,000 fatalities in a
single day.
The nation has recorded more than 22 million cases since the
pandemic started, reporting on average 245,000 new infections a day
over the last seven days, according to a Reuters analysis.
In Asia, India crossed 150,000 deaths last Tuesday, becoming the
third nation to reach the grim milestone.
The south Asian nation has approved two COVID-19 vaccines and will
start its vaccination drive from Jan. 16 with priority given to
about 30 million healthcare and frontline workers.
(Reporting by Roshan Abraham and Anurag Maan in Bengaluru; Editing
by Lisa Shumaker and Michael Perry)
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