A breath before Christmas, Europe is once again in the heavy shadow of the pandemic. The virus is rampant and countries are once again facing nightmare.
In Germany, the head of the Robert Koch Epidemiological Institute in Germany, Lothar Wheeler, sees a new lockdown as the only solution.
“In the current situation, unfortunately, these measures are no longer enough. Now we need a significant reduction in contacts. This includes: teleworking, cancellation of events, reduction of the number of people in theaters, closing of bars and clubs, again “.
The descriptions of the doctors are dramatic, meanwhile.
“We have more and more young people in the intensive care unit. The time they receive treatment is significantly longer and it fills the intensive care beds for a longer period of time “, says the Head of the Intensive Care Unit, Agios Antonios Hospital, Uwe Jansen.
In the last 24 hours, the number of cases exceeds 66,000, and the 335 new deaths bring the country one step before breaking the tragic record of 100,000 deaths from coronavirus.
“The coronavirus has not yet been defeated. “Intensive care units are reaching their limits,” said German Chancellor Olaf Solz.
While the citizens seem to be in favor of compulsory vaccination, in their majority, with queues forming in the vaccination centers in the last days.
NETHERLANDS
The situation is also out of control in the Netherlands, with the country sending patients to Germany so that the health system does not collapse …
“The rate of infection is higher than ever and we have not seen the worst yet,” said Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jong.
The government will announce new measures on Friday, trying to limit the spread.
Slovakia
Slovakia recently announced a new general lockdown, modeled on neighboring Austria.
“It is not a pleasant measure, but it is inevitable,” said Slovak President Suzana Tsaputova.
From tomorrow, restaurants, cafes and shops will be closed for at least 2 weeks.
CYPRUS
In Cyprus, Christmas events will be held only with the approval of the ministry, while citizens over the age of 12 will enter stadiums, cinemas and restaurants only if they have been vaccinated.
At the same time the The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) calls on the Member States of the European Union to take urgent action in the face of the resurgence of the epidemic in Europe and the risk of a “very high” health burden in December and January.
ECDC chief Andrea Amon also said in a statement that booster doses of Covid vaccine should be considered for all adults, with priority given to those over 40, in a major protocol change.
The ECDC calls for an increase in the general level of vaccination in the European Union and especially in the most backward countries.
The European Center further notes the need for non-pharmacological interventions as an immediate measure to control coronavirus transmission in conjunction with the introduction of booster vaccine doses for adults, preferably in people 40 years of age and older, at least six months after completion. program of main vaccines, according to the prediction models. Booster doses will maintain control of transmission beyond the immediate effect of non-pharmacological measures, the ECDC says.
The festive season at the end of the year is traditionally associated with activities such as social gatherings, shopping and travel, which pose significant additional risks to the intensive transmission of the Delta Delta mutation, he notes.
Predictive models examining vaccine intake (including “over-the-counter” and “booster” vaccines), vaccine efficacy, attenuation of post-vaccine immunity, pediatric immunization, natural immunity, and contact rates, show that the potential risk of disease in the EU / EEA from the Delta variant is expected to be very high in December and January, unless non-pharmacological interventions are now implemented in conjunction with continuous efforts to increase vaccination in the general population.
An increase in cases, hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions for SARS-CoV-2 was observed in October and early November in most European Union and European Economic Area countries after a period of decline in August and September 2021. This is related to the release of the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) in the context of insufficient vaccine intake and extensive relaxation of non-drug interventions. While the burden of COVID-19 is particularly high in some countries with low vaccination rates, there is evidence of an increasing burden even among countries with higher rates. The current epidemiological situation is largely due to the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, which offsets the reduction in transmission achieved by the current development of vaccination in the EU / EEA.
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