- Europe is once again at the epicentre of the pandemic.
- There is a 55% rise in vaccine cases despite vaccines and tools.
- Among the many Germans who have not been vaccinated are more than three million over-60s, seen at particular risk.
- The Dutch government said it would reimpose mask-wearing and social distancing in many public settings.
At a press conference, WHO Europe head Hans Kluge said the continent could see half a million more deaths by February, blames insufficient vaccine take-up for the rise, as reported by BBC News.
Vaccination rates slowed
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Europe is once again “at the core” of the Covid pandemic, as cases continue to rise across the continent.
“We need to shift our methods from reacting to Covid-19 surges to preventing them in the first place,” Hans Kluge stated.
In recent months, vaccination rates have slowed across the continent.
While 80% of Spaniards are double-jabbed, the figure is as low as 66% in Germany – and even lower in some Eastern European countries.
By October 2021, only 32% of Russians had been properly immunised.
The WHO has recorded 1.4 million deaths in the region thus far.
Warning shot for the world
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, said cases in Europe had increased by over 55% in the last four weeks, despite an “ample supply of vaccines and tools,” and colleague Dr Mike Ryan said Europe’s experience was a “warning shot for the world.”
It happened as Germany hit a new high of over 37,000 daily Covid cases on Friday, the second day in a row.
The incidence rate per 100,000 individuals is presently 169.9, up from 169.9 in April, but still significantly below the level in the United Kingdom.
Officials in Germany are concerned that the fourth wave of infection may result in a substantial number of deaths and put a strain on the health system.
154 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. up from 121 a week ago.
Pandemic is not finished yet
On Thursday, Lothar Wieler of Germany’s RKI institute spoke of alarming figures.
Over three million over-60s, who are viewed as particularly vulnerable, are among the many Germans who have not been vaccinated.
This week, Romania saw the highest number of deaths in 24 hours with 591, while daily Covid infections in Hungary have more than doubled in the last week to 6,268.
Masks are only required to be worn on public transportation and in hospitals.
“At the present, we appear to be hell-bent on claiming that the pandemic is finished and that all we need to do now is vaccine a few more people.
That isn’t the case at all.”
According to Dr Ryan, every government should fix the gaps in its response.
Infection rates are still low
The Dutch government said this week that mask-wearing and social distance would be reinstated in numerous public places after it was shown that hospital admissions had increased by 31% in a week.
On Thursday, Croatia registered 6,310 new cases, the largest amount yet.
Infection rates, on the other hand, are still low in countries with the greatest immunisation rates.
Even though Italy has one of the highest vaccination rates for everyone over the age of 12, new cases have increased by 16.6% in the last week.
For the first time since September, the number of Portuguese illnesses has surpassed 1,000.
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Source: BBC News
