A worrying spike of coronavirus infections in Europe is being driven by the delta variant, according to global health leaders, even as immunization rates in some countries are on the way up.

Increased cases reported in the U.K. and Portugal have forced officials to reimplement lockdown restrictions or hold off on lifting pandemic mandates. Officials in France, Germany and Spain said they are closely monitoring clusters of infection tied to the delta variant.

The strain, also known as B.1.617.2, was first detected in India. It is now “well on its way to becoming the dominant variant globally because of its increased transmissibility,” Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist, said Friday.

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been shown to be effective against this strain.

A recent study from Public Health England showed two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were 88% effective against symptomatic disease from the delta variant compared with 93% effectiveness against the alpha variant, the variant first detected in the United Kingdom. The vaccine only provided 33% protection after just one dose.

Still, in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions shared similar concerns of the spread of the delta strain. The CDC declared last week that it was a “variant of concern,” meaning it poses a significant threat to unvaccinated people.

A delay in lifting lockdown restrictions

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week a delay in plans to lift the final elements of the nation’s lockdown restrictions, citing “a faster than predicted” spread of the strain.

Originally set to end Monday, Johnson said restrictions on businesses and large events will remain in place until July 19.

In the U.K., data shows 99% of sequenced and genotyped confirmed coronavirus cases across the country are the delta variant, according to Public Health England.

The government’s weekly data as of June 18 showed numbers of the delta variant in the U.K. have risen by 33,630 from the previous week to a total of 75,953.

This comes despite the nation’s high immunization rate, with 59.5% of the population fully vaccinated from the coronavirus. A reported 81.6% of the population have received one dose, according to government data.

Dr. Jenny Harries, chief executive of U.K. Health Security Agency, said in a statement, “The increase is primarily in younger age groups, a large proportion of which were unvaccinated but are now being invited to receive the vaccine.”

On Friday, the government announced every adult over the age of 18 is eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine.

Authorities in Portugal banned all weekend travel in and out of Lisbon, the capital, to cut down on any further spread of the virus to other parts of the country.

Portugal’s National Health Institute reported this weekend the delta variant is shown to be in at least 60% of new cases in Lisbon. The country reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the fourth day in a row on Saturday, according to Reuters.

Spain, Germany and France watch with concern

Cases tied to the delta strain are reported as being low in France, Spain and Germany, but each nation’s health minister warn that the delta variant is perceived as a real threat.

As of June 14, Spain reported the delta variant accounted for less than 1% of cases.

Spain’s Catalonia region, in the northeast, reported 20% of new cases were linked to the delta strain, the region’s health official, Josep Maria Argimon, announced at a press conference Thursday.

Argimon warned that delta could be the predominant variant throughout the country in two to four weeks.

That hasn’t stopped the nation from moving forward with lifting some COVID-19 restrictions. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced Friday that masks would no longer have to be worn outdoors in the country, starting June 26.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said it’s not if the delta variant becomes dominant, but “when and under what conditions.”

France reported that 2% to 4% of virus samples being analyzed in the country showed the delta variant, according to French Health Minister Olivier Véran.

“We are in the process of crushing the virus and crushing the pandemic, and we must in no way let the Delta variant get the upper hand,” Véran said last week, according to The Financial Times.

“You might say this is still low but it is similar to the situation in the UK a few weeks ago,” he said.

Tropical Storm Claudette was downgraded to a tropical depression after battering the Southeast over the weekend. Heavy rains, high winds and flash flooding contributed to the deaths of 13 people in Alabama Saturday, and while the storm has weakened, it is expected to regain strength as it makes its way toward the East Coast.

For the time being, wind speeds remain relatively low, peaking around 30 mph. But Claudette is expected to intensify, regaining strength and reaching tropical storm status late Sunday or early Monday morning. Tropical storm conditions are expected along parts of the North Carolina coast and a tropical storm watch is in effect in northeastern South Carolina.

The National Hurricane Center is advising residents in southern Georgia, northern Florida and the Carolinas to prepare for torrential rain and flooding —and possibly tornadoes — through Monday morning. The storm is expected to bring as much as 6 inches of rain to parts of the Southeast. Rising water levels present a larger threat. Storm surge levels could reach as high as 3 feet as winds force the water away from the storm.

“As the large circulation of Claudette moves off of the southeastern United States coast later today and tonight, winds will increase along and offshore of the coast, and the system is expected to regain tropical-storm status by Monday morning,” the NHC said. “Additional re-strengthening is forecast on Monday and Monday night while the cyclone moves over the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream.”

Claudette originated in the Gulf of Mexico last week before making landfall Saturday. Some areas experienced over a foot of rain as the storm pummeled the region Saturday.

The Associated Press reported that a 15-vehicle crash just south of Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday left 10 people dead, including nine children. In a separate incident, a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy were killed outside of Tuscaloosa when a tree fell on their house. A 23-year-old woman from Fort Payne also died on Saturday after her car went off the road into a rain-swollen creek, a DeKalb County deputy coroner told WHNT-TV.

The NHC is projecting the storm will become a post-tropical cyclone by late Tuesday as it makes its way out to sea. Claudette is the third named storm of the year for the Atlantic hurricane season, which traditionally runs from June 1 through the end of November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-average hurricane season for 2021, with 13-20 possible named storms.

WILTON MANORS, Fla. — A driver slammed into spectators Saturday evening at the start of a Pride parade in South Florida, killing one man and seriously injuring another, authorities said.

Some witnesses said the crash appeared to be an intentional act, but Fort Lauderdale Police Detective Ali Adamson told reporters that authorities were investigating all possibilities.

The collision happened during the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade. Wilton Manors is just north of Fort Lauderdale.

The driver and the victims were a part of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus family, according to a statement reported by news outlets from the group’s president, Justin Knight.

“To my knowledge it was an accident. This was not an attack on the LGBTQ community,” Knight said in the statement. “We anticipate more details to follow and ask for the community’s love and support.”

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said a driver of a pickup truck suddenly accelerated when he was told he was next in the parade, crashing into the victims, according to WSVN-TV. In the immediate aftermath of the crash, Trantalis said he believed the crash was “deliberate.”

Police said the driver was taken into custody, but it was unclear whether he had been charged.

Photos and video from the scene showed Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in tears while in a convertible at the parade.

In a statement Saturday night, Wasserman Schultz said she was safe but “deeply shaken and devastated that a life was lost.”

“I am so heartbroken by what took place at this celebration,” she said. “May the memory of the life lost be for a blessing.”

Spectator Christina Currie told the South Florida SunSentinel that she was with her family at the start of the parade.

“All of a sudden there was a loud revving of a truck and a crash through a fence,” Currie said. “It was definitely an intentional act right across the lanes of traffic.”

Wilton Manors police tweeted Saturday night that the public is not in danger.

“Though authorities are still gathering information, we know two individuals marching to celebrate inclusion and equality were struck by a vehicle,” Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement. “This tragedy took place within feet of me and my (Broward Sheriff’s Office) team, and we are devastated having witnessed this horrific incident.”

June is Pride Month, commemorating the June 1969 police raid targeting gay patrons at the Stonewall Inn in New York that led to an uprising of LGBTQ Americans and served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement.

When does a joke become a dad joke? That’s easy. When it becomes apparent.

Wait, don’t click away.

Are dad jokes tired? Probably. They’ve been walking all day to get here to this very post. But now that I’ve got your (perhaps somewhat annoyed) attention, consider this your reminder that it’s Father’s Day — or depending on the day you’re reading this, Oops, you missed Father’s Day.

It’s a day to honor dads everywhere, whether they be young or old, single or partnered, new to the job or seasoned like a favorite cast iron skillet. They could be a stay-at-home dad or the primary breadwinner. They could be your own dad, your kid’s dad, a dad who has passed away or anyone in your life who plays that role for you.

It’s a day to do, well, whatever feels right to you and your family. But before you go celebrate, here are a few fun numbers that describe the holiday. Take them with you to the barbecue, brunch or whatever it is your version of dad does best.

1910

Father’s Day, it seems, has a mother. The idea for a day honoring dads is generally attributed to Sonora Dodd, a woman raised by her father after her mother died in childbirth, according to the Library of Congress. In 1910, Dodd was apparently listening to a church service on Mother’s Day, which itself had only existed for a few years and was still unofficial, and she began to think about everything her father had done for her growing up. The first Father’s Day celebration took place where Dodd lived, in Spokane, Wash., in June.

1966

But it took a few more decades to really become official. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed that the third Sunday in June would be officially known as Father’s Day, saying that we look to fathers to “provide the strength and stability which characterize the successful family.” In 1972, President Nixon made the day a national holiday.

75 million

There are 121 million men over the age of 15 in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Among them, 75 million are fathers to biological, step or adopted children. That’s about six in 10 men. Most of them, around 61%, became dads in their 20s. Another 20% became dads between the ages of 30 and 34.

72 million

Father’s Day is the fourth largest holiday for sending cards in the U.S., behind Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Christmas, according to Hallmark. According to the greeting card company, 72 million Father’s Day cards are purchased each year. About a quarter of them are considered “humor” cards, which is a nice segue into another dad joke: Two guys walked into a bar. The third guy ducked. You’re welcome.

75 percent

This is the amount of Americans recently surveyed by the National Retail Federation who said they plan to celebrate the father figures in their life this weekend. About half of the survey’s respondents said they were planning on buying a gift for their own dad — and those gifts are getting more expensive. On average, people surveyed said they’re planning on spending $174 on Father’s Day gifts, nearly double what people were spending more than 10 years ago.

7 percent

The percent of fathers who are stay-at-home dads is slowly rising. In 1989, about 4% of fathers were at home. By 2016, that number had risen to 7%, according to the Pew Research Center. In that same time frame, the share of mothers at home has remained relatively stable, at around 27%. In general, dads are more involved in childcare now than they were 50 years ago. In 1965, fathers reported that they spent about 2.5 hours per week caring for children. In 2016, that number had jumped to eight hours.

1.7 million

Of the 35 million fathers with children under 18, 1.7 million of them are single dads, in that they are living with a child with no spouse or partner present, according to the Census. In total, 46% of dads have children under 18, the rest have adult children, and about one in four are grandfathers.

1

Because you’ve read this far, this is how many dads it usually takes to screw in a lightbulb. You didn’t think I’d put a question in the headline and not answer it, did you?

63 percent

In a survey by the Pew Research Center, most dads said being a parent is rewarding and central to their identity. But 63 percent said they spent “too little” time with their children. So, if you have a dad in your life who’s still around, make sure to call him soon.

Or, as my own dad would say, don’t call him soon, call him dad.