The regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe, Hans Henri P. Kluge, has warned that the ‘old continent’ has once again become the ‘epicenter’ of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the increase of cases in recent weeks.
“We are at another critical point of resurgence of the pandemic. Europe is once again at the epicenter of the pandemic, where we were a year ago. The difference today is that we know more and can do more. We have more tools and means to mitigate and reduce the damage in our communities and in society, “he said at a press conference this Thursday.
Thus, he pointed out that “all the countries of Europe and Central Asia are facing a real threat of a resurgence of COVID-19, or are already fighting against it.” “ The current rate of transmission in the 53 countries of the WHO European region is very worrying. COVID-19 cases are approaching record levels again, and the more transmissible Delta variant continues to dominate transmission in Europe and Central Asia. ‘
Kluge recalled that last week, with almost 1.8 million new cases and 24,000 new deaths reported , Europe and Central Asia registered an increase of 6 and 12 percent, respectively, compared to the previous week. Likewise, in the last month Europe has experienced an increase of more than 55 percent in new cases of COVID-19.
“Last week, Europe and Central Asia accounted for 59 percent of all cases globally and 48 percent of reported deaths. Cumulatively, there are now more reported cases (78 million) in the European region than in Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Western Pacific and Africa combined, ”Kluge detailed.
In his opinion, the most worrying thing is “the rapid increase in the older population groups, which is translating into a greater number of people with serious illness and more people dying.” Currently, 75 percent of fatal cases correspond to people 65 years of age or older.
It has also indicated that hospital admission rates for COVID-19 “have more than doubled in a week,” according to the latest WHO / Europe data.
Half a million deaths in February
In this context, Kluge has warned of the upward trend of the pandemic. “ According to a reliable projection , if we continue on this trajectory, we could see another half a million deaths from COVID-19 in Europe and Central Asia by February 1 of next year, and 43 countries in our region will face pressure from high to extreme on hospital beds at some point during the same period, “he warned.
According to the WHO’s highest representative in Europe, there are two reasons why cases have “skyrocketed” in Europe and Central Asia in the last month: ” Insufficient vaccination coverage and relaxation of health and social measures ».
On average, only 47 percent of Europeans have completed a vaccination series. While 8 countries have already exceeded 70 percent coverage, in 2 countries the rate is still below 10 percent. In places where vaccine acceptance is low (in many countries in the Baltic, Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans) hospital admission rates are high.
“We must ensure that countries with low vaccination coverage among priority groups increase their coverage. I encourage the authorities to offer an additional dose to moderately and severely immunosuppressed individuals between 1 and 3 months after completing the primary vaccination series, and to consider offering an additional dose of the vaccine to all people over 60 years of age. “, has held.
On the other hand, he has defended that, together with vaccines, diagnostic tests, contact tracing, ventilation in interior spaces and physical distancing should continue to be part of “our arsenal of defenses” against COVID-19. “These are proven measures that allow lives to continue while controlling the virus and avoiding widespread and damaging lockdowns,” he argued.
According to Kluge, achieving universal use of 95 percent of the mask in Europe and Central Asia could save ” up to 188,000 lives of the half a million lives that we can lose before February 2022.”
CONCERN ABOUT RELAXATION OF MEASURES
Kluge has celebrated that in the last two weeks 23 countries have strengthened measures against COVID-19, but has expressed concern about the seven countries in which they have relaxed.
“The measures must be proportional to the local epidemiology, but with the widespread resurgence of COVID-19, I ask all health authorities to carefully reconsider the relaxation or lifting of the measures at this very moment. As we enter flu season, we are faced with the possibility of both flu and COVID-19 circulating . The same preventive measures work against both viruses, and we have effective and safe vaccines for both, “he added.
