The highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus first detected in England had by Saturday been documented in several European countries, as well as Canada, Japan, Australia and Lebanon, despite efforts to curb its spread through global disruptions in travel and movement.
Fears over the fast-spreading form of the virus that causes covid-19 are in sharp contrast to a wave of hope sweeping some countries and communities as vaccination programs begin rolling out.
Scientists do not think the British variant is more deadly or resistant to the current coronavirus vaccines. The German pharmaceutical company BioNTech is confident that its vaccine developed with Pfizer works against the variant, but said further studies are needed to be certain.
The variant also has been detected in France, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.
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In Canada, Ontario's chief medical officer announced Saturday that two cases had been confirmed, the first detection of the variant in North America. The patients, a couple, had no known travel history, meaning it was likely a case of community spread.
While the United States has not yet reported a case, experts say it is probably because of the nation's low rate of genetic sequencing of the virus to check for such changes, despite Americans leading the world in coronavirus infections and deaths.
Scientists are closely following news of another variant detected in South Africa that experts say also appears to be highly transmissible. Health officials already have documented cases of the South African variant in the United Kingdom.
In her annual Christmas address, Queen Elizabeth II, who has spent much of the year isolating at Windsor Castle with Prince Philip, delivered a message of hope praising the "indomitable spirit" of those who have risen "magnificently" to the challenges of the pandemic. The 94-year-old queen and her 99-year-old husband were setting an example by not visiting relatives as usual over Christmas.
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Beginning Monday, the U.S. government will require all travelers flying from Britain to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of the plane's departure. London's airports were fairly quiet Saturday, with no signs of a rush to travel to the United States ahead of the restriction.
Japan on Saturday banned all foreigners except those with residency from entering the country from Monday through the end of January. Japan reported its first case of the British variant Friday as coronavirus cases surged in Tokyo. Japan said five patients detected with the variant had all traveled from the United Kingdom.
Countries across Europe and other continents began to block or restrict travelers from the U.K. last week in reaction to the variant's outbreak. Some, like France, have since walked back near-total border closures as disruptions spread in trade and travel.
France initially closed its border to all travelers from the United Kingdom last Sunday, but Wednesday began allowing European Union citizens to pass through.
TOUGHER RESTRICTIONS
Meanwhile, millions of people in the U.K. faced tough new restrictions Saturday, with Scotland and Northern Ireland demanding tighter measures to try to halt the new variant.
Northern Ireland went into a six-week lockdown. In Wales, restrictions that were relaxed for Christmas Day were reimposed.
The number of people under England's top level of restrictions -- Tier 4 -- increased by 6 million Saturday to 24 million people overall, around 43% of the country's population. The region included London and many of its surrounding areas.
No indoor mixing of households is allowed and only essential travel is permitted. Gyms, pools, hairdressers and stores selling nonessential goods have been ordered to close and pubs and restaurants can only do takeout. Business groups say the restrictions will be economically devastating to their members.
The U.K.'s death toll is now 70,512, the second-worst in Europe after Italy.
TRAFFIC JAM EASES
A huge truck jam at the Port of Dover in England eased further Saturday, days after France lifted its border blockade.
As many as 6,000 trucks had lined up at the height of the dayslong jam, and many drivers spent a bleak Christmas sleeping in their vehicles as France demanded that all those crossing the border show proof of a negative coronavirus test.
"It was shocking to see that in a G-7 country like the U.K. that such things would happen," said Benjamin Richtzenhain, a traveler who crossed the English Channel on Thursday. He said authorities had communicated poorly to those in the logjam and that access to water, bathrooms and blankets had been limited.
By Saturday morning, officials with Britain's transportation department said about 1,600 vehicles remained in the traffic jam near the port, while at least 8,000 had crossed the Channel through the Eurotunnel since Wednesday, when authorities ramped up testing.
At the port, officials worked intensively Saturday to test the remaining drivers in hopes of clearing the backup. More than 15,526 have been tested, with 36 coming up positive, the department said.
Hundreds more military personnel were deployed Friday to reinforce testing efforts and distribute food and water provided by an array of organizations.
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Thousands of police officers, civilian testers, council planners and port workers gave up their Christmas to help reunite drivers with loved ones, said Grant Shapps, Britain's transportation secretary, who tweeted praise for their efforts: "A massive THANK YOU to everyone who's worked tirelessly over the past few days to reduce the huge disruption."
HUNGARY'S SHOTS FIRST
Elsewhere, hopes are tentatively rising. Hungary on Saturday became the first European Union member to begin vaccinations, a day ahead of France, Germany and Spain, among others, that will kick off vaccinating high-risk populations today.
Germany, Hungary and Slovakia began giving out their first vaccine shots Saturday only hours after receiving their first shipments, upsetting the European Union's plans for a coordinated rollout today across the bloc's 27 nations.
"Every day that we wait is one day too many," said Tobias Krueger, operator of a nursing home where immunizations began in Halberstadt, Germany.
The first person at the home to be immunized with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 101-year-old Edith Kwoizalla, the dpa news agency reported.
Krueger said 40 of the home's 59 residents wanted the shot along with 10 of about 40 workers. He was among those immunized, but added, "I also understand the concerns."
In Hungary, health workers were vaccinated at a hospital in Budapest, while in Slovakia, the first person to receive a jab was a 60-year-old top expert on infectious diseases, Vladimir Krcmery. He was vaccinated along with doctors at University Hospital in Nitra, in what Health Minister Marek Krajci called a "historic moment."
The first shipments of the vaccine arrived at hospitals across the EU in super-cold containers late Friday and early Saturday after being sent from a manufacturing center in Belgium before Christmas.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen released a video celebrating the vaccine rollout for the bloc of nearly 450 million people, calling it "a touching moment of unity."
"Today, we start turning the page on a difficult year. The covid-19 vaccine has been delivered to all EU countries. Vaccination will begin tomorrow across the EU," she said.
It marks a moment of hope for a region that includes some of the world's earliest and worst-hit virus hot spots -- Italy and Spain -- and others like the Czech Republic that were spared early on only to see their health care systems near their breaking point in the fall. And the rollout elicits a sigh of relief for EU politicians who were frustrated after Britain, Canada and the United States began their vaccination programs earlier this month.
"It's here, the good news at Christmas," German Health Minister Jens Spahn said at a news conference Saturday. "This vaccine is the decisive key to end this pandemic ... it is the key to getting our lives back."
The first shipments were limited to just under 10,000 doses in most countries, with the EU's mass vaccination programs not expected to begin until January. Each country is deciding on its own who will get the first shots.
In Hungary, the first shipment of 9,750 doses -- enough to vaccinate 4,875 people, since two doses are needed per person -- arrived by truck early Saturday and were taken to South Pest Central Hospital in Budapest. The government said four other hospitals, two in Budapest and two in the cities of Debrecen and Nyiregyhaza, would receive vaccines from the initial shipment.
French authorities said they will prioritize the elderly and the French medical safety agency will monitor the vaccine rollout for any potential problems. Germany, where the pandemic has cost more than 30,000 lives, was beginning with those older than 80 and people who take care of vulnerable groups.
Spanish authorities said the first batch arrived in the central city of Guadalajara, where the first shots will be administered this morning at a nursing home.
In Italy, which has Europe's worst virus toll as it approaches 72,000 dead, a nurse in Rome's Spallanzani Hospital, the main infectious-diseases facility in the capital, will be the first in the country to receive the vaccine, followed by other health care personnel.
In Poland, the first two people to be vaccinated today will be a nurse and a doctor at the Interior Ministry hospital in Warsaw, followed by medical personnel in dozens of other hospitals. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said it was the patriotic duty of Poles to get vaccinated -- a message directed at a society where there's a high degree of hesitancy born of a distrust of authorities.
In Bulgaria, where fears about vaccines also run high, the first person to get the shot will be Health Minister Kostadin Angelov, who has promised an aggressive campaign to promote the benefits of vaccines.
In Croatia, a nursing-home resident in Zagreb will be the first to receive the vaccine this morning, according to state HRT TV. Authorities also planned to involve celebrities and other public figures in a vaccination campaign.
"We have been waiting for this for a year now," Romanian Prime Minister Florin Catu said Saturday after the first vaccines arrived at a military-run storage facility.
CHINESE CASES
Beijing has urged residents not to leave the city during the Lunar New Year holiday in February, implementing new restrictions after several coronavirus infections last week.
Two domestic cases were reported Friday, a convenience store worker and a Hewlett-Packard Enterprise employee. Another two asymptomatic cases were discovered in Beijing earlier in the week.
Beijing is conducting testing on a limited scale in the neighborhoods and workplaces where the cases were found.
To contain any new outbreaks, the Beijing government canceled big gatherings such as sporting events and temple fairs. It says applications will be strictly reviewed for any major events. Venues such as cinemas, libraries and museums have to limit themselves to 75% capacity, the government said. It also called on companies not to arrange business trips outside the city and abroad.
Officials in the northeastern port city of Dalian said Friday that they had tested more than 4.75 million people after 24 confirmed infections this month. Authorities have shut schools and all public spaces in five neighborhood divisions in Dalian, and only essential workers can leave their compounds to go to work.
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region:
• Tokyo on Saturday confirmed 949 new cases, a record high for the Japanese capital, as the country struggles with an upsurge that is spreading nationwide. Japan had 3,823 new cases Friday for a national total of 213,547, with 3,155 deaths, the Health Ministry said.
• South Korea reported another 1,132 cases as the resurgence worsened over Christmas week, putting pressure on the government to enforce stricter social-distancing controls. The figures Saturday raised the country's caseload to 55,902 with 793 deaths.
• Health officials in Thailand said Saturday that two new clusters of cases have been found that appear to be linked to a major outbreak a week ago among migrant workers in an industrial province near Bangkok.
The new cases were found in 19 members of a motorcycle club who held a holiday gathering and in nine people who visited a gambling den, said the disease control department. The first of the motorcyclists to be diagnosed had traveled from Samut Sakhon province, where the outbreak among the migrant workers occurred.
On Saturday, 110 new cases were reported, raising Thailand's total to 6,020. Sixty of the 110 were linked to the Samut Sakhon outbreak.
Thailand had been considered a success story in controlling the disease by taking early measures, including banning virtually all foreign tourists. It has recently been seeking to restart its travel industry, but the outbreak has put authorities on high alert.
Information for this article was contributed by Miriam Berger of The Washington Post; by Isabella Kwai of The New York Times; and by Vanessa Gera, David McHugh, Lorne Cook, Angela Charlton, Joseph Wilson, Frances D'Emilio, Jovana Gec, Karel Janicek, Veselin Toshkov and staff members of The Associated Press.