WHO calls for more protection for children in new wave of Covid

The WHO (World Health Organization) asked this Tuesday (7) greater protection for children, the age group most affected by the new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe, and stated that mandatory vaccination should be the “last resource”.

On the old continent, where the WHO has said it fears an additional 500,000 deaths by spring (autumn in Brazil), more than 120,000 people have died from Covid-19 since this alert was issued last month.

With the holiday season approaching — a synonym for family reunions and a lot of traveling — the number of victims is rising to a “high threshold” of more than 4,000 deaths a day, according to the organization.

According to the WHO, cases are currently increasing in all age groups, “with the highest rates currently observed between 5 and 14 years”.

To prevent school closures and distance learning, the WHO European department recommends increasing diagnostic testing in schools and analyzing student vaccinations, a measure that has been approved by several health agencies around the world.

“The use of masks and ventilation, as well as regular testing, should be the norm in all primary schools, and child vaccination should be debated and considered nationally, with the aim of protecting schools,” he said. WHO Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, at a virtual press conference.

Mandatory vaccination, decided on or planned by some countries, should remain an “absolute last resort, only when all possible options to increase the rate of vaccination have been exhausted”, according to WHO Europe.

On Monday (6), a study by the World Bank and several international institutions warned of the even heavier-than-expected impact of the pandemic on the education and future of children around the world.

According to the study, the generation of young people currently in school is at risk of losing nearly $17 trillion (more than R$96 trillion) in lifetime income as a result of school closures due to the pandemic.

Without providing further scientific assessments, WHO has once again expressed its concern about the new omicron variant, urging authorities not to wait until it becomes dominant to act.

“Omicron is in sight and on the rise and we are right to be worried and cautious. But the problem now is delta and our success against delta today will be victory over omicron tomorrow” before cases escalate enormously.

Norway, which is expected to announce new measures against the epidemic on Tuesday (7) at night, said it hopes that the new variant, detected for the first time in South Africa, will become predominant in the Nordic country “by January at the latest” .

According to the latest report from the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), 212 cases were confirmed with certainty in the 27 EU countries as of midday on Monday (6).

The European Union health agency responsible for the epidemics expects the omicron variant to become prevalent in Europe “in the coming months”.

Several countries have been added to the list of affected nations in recent days, with the first cases reported in Argentina and Fiji.

The possibility of new travel restrictions is also back. US officials urged their citizens on Monday to refrain from visiting a dozen countries, including France and Portugal, which are among the most vaccinated in Europe.