Delta variant 'spreading rapidly' from Lisbon to rest of Portugal

FILE PHOTO: A woman wearing a protective mask walks in Lisbon downtown amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Lisbon, Portugal, June 24, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/

LISBON (Reuters) - Over 70% of coronavirus cases in the Lisbon area are from the more contagious Delta variant, which is quickly spreading to other parts of the country, a report said late on Friday, as authorities scramble to stop a worrying rise in infections.

The national health institute, Ricardo Jorge, said in its report that the Delta variant, first identified in India, represented 51% of cases in mainland Portugal, showing the variant is "spreading rapidly" as it happened in Britain.