The share of Covid-19 infections caused by the more easily transmitted Delta variant of the coronavirus has doubled in Germany in a week and is likely to gain more traction over other variants, the Robert Koch Institute public health agency said on Wednesday.

A whole genome sequencing analysis shows the Delta variant – first identified in India – accounting for 15 per cent of infections, the institute said, adding that “the proportion of variant B.1.617.2 (Delta) continues to increase and the proportion of this VOC (variant of concern) doubled within one week.”

“The current distribution of the variants in Germany shows that it can be expected that the VOC B.1.617.2 can be expected to prevail over the other variants,” it added in a report.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said earlier on Wednesday she would like other European countries to require people entering them from countries where there are high levels of the Delta variant, like Britain, to go into quarantine, as is the case in Germany.