About three million new cases of Covid were recorded in the European region last week, accounting for half of all cases worldwide.
With the Omicron’s BA.5 subvariant to lead its new wave Covid-19 in Europe, countries must speed up vaccination and restore measures such as mask use to avoid the need for stricter meters in autumn and winter, warns Hans Kluge, regional director for Europe World Health Organization.
In an interview with Reuters, Mr Hans Kluge calls on countries in Europe to act now to prevent the burden on health systems as Omicron’s BA.5 sub-variant gains ground.
About the three million new cases of Covid were recorded in the European region last week, accounting for half of all cases worldwide. The number of hospital admissions has doubled over the same period and around 3,000 people die from the disease every week, according to Hans Kluge.
“There is an increase in cases … at a time when society is functioning almost as before,” he said, underscoring the need for pandemic stabilizers, such as the second booster vaccine, before updated vaccines come in the fall, as well as promoting of mask use and ventilation.
These pandemic stabilization measures should be implemented now to avoid tougher measures, he warned. “I don’t think society is ready for a lockdown.”
RES-EMP
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