The World Health Organization reported that Europe is once again the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Last week, around 1.8 million new cases were reported, along with 24,000 deaths per week, in the region, which includes the Russian Federation and several former Soviet republics. This represents a six percent increase in cases and a 12 percent increase in deaths compared to the previous week.
While tens of thousands of new cases are seen every day in Russia, England and Germany, cases have been increasing in the region for the last five weeks. WHO regional director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge stated that the situation is seriously worrying and that Europe is at risk of facing 500,000 preventable deaths by February.
At a press conference, Kluge said, “Europe has become the epicenter of the epidemic again, as it was a year ago,” and added: “We must change our tactics to prevent them from happening in the first place, rather than reacting to the fluctuations in Covid-19.”
Kluge continues to recommend that people get vaccinated and practice social distancing, wear masks, and keep indoor spaces well ventilated.
“It is very important to reflect that Europe represented more than half of global cases last week, but this trend may change,” said Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergencies programme, at the same press conference.
Mike Ryan continued: “I think this is a warning shot for the world to see what’s going on in Europe despite the availability of a vaccine. And I think we should all double down and commit ourselves to doing everything we can to be the last person in the chain of transmission.”
In the UK, hundreds of thousands of new cases have been reported in the last few months, and the death toll has risen steadily over the summer. In Germany, where about 67 percent of the population is vaccinated, the spike in the past few weeks is believed to be due to unvaccinated people. Although countries such as Portugal, Spain and Italy have given the first dose to at least 78 percent of their populations, the rate of vaccination has slowed in many countries.
As flu cases tend to increase during the winter months, the number of hospitalizations and deaths may coincide with periods of increased pressure in hospitals, which is alarming. The two worst countries in the region last week were Russia, which saw more than 8,100 deaths due to COVID-19, and Ukraine, which reported 3,800 deaths.
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