UK Variant Accounts for 70 Percent of COVID Cases in Pakistan: Researcher

People gather to receive their CCP virus disease (COVID-19) vaccine doses, at a vaccination center in Karachi, Pakistan, on April 28, 2021. Akhtar Soomro/Reuters

KARACHI, Pakistan—A coronavirus variant first discovered in the United Kingdom now accounts for up to 70 percent of COVID-19 infections across Pakistan, a research centre studying the disease in the country said on Saturday.

The country has imposed strict nationwide restrictions in the lead up to the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr next week in a bid to control a spike in cases, including banning public transport over the holiday period.