The majority of new cases in the UK were from the new variants. WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said the current situation was “a tipping point in the course of the pandemic” and the continent needed to strengthen social-distancing measures. “Without increased control to slow its spread, there will be an increased impact on already stressed and pressured health facilities,” he said. Helge Braun, an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said the country’s lockdown might need to be extended in light of the mutant variant, while French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said it was unlikely the continent would be able to keep the British strain at bay.