WHO warning of 700,000 new corona deaths in Europe this winter
The case is being updated.
The WHO’s European office, which is located in Copenhagen, says that the number of corona deaths in Europe will almost double this winter, and pass 2 million by March 2022.
The WHO points out that more and more research is suggesting that vaccines’ protection against infection and mild disease is being weakened and recommends that vulnerable groups receive a refreshing dose.
This applies to people with weakened immune systems, people over the age of 60 and health professionals.
Episenter
Europe is currently experiencing an increase in infection in several countries and has become an epicenter of the pandemic. This has led to new closures in several countries.
– Today, the infection situation in Europe and Central Asia is very serious. We are facing a challenging winter, but we should not be without hope. We can all, authorities, health authorities and private individuals, make an effort against the pandemic, says WHO’s European head Hans Kluge.
In Europe, the death toll from the pandemic rose to an average of almost 4,200 every day last week. That is twice as high as the level was in September.
Three factors drive the beat
It is estimated that the corona pandemic has so far led to 1.5 million deaths in the European region, which also includes parts of Central Asia.
According to the WHO, there are three factors driving the pandemic on the rise in Europe:
The delta variant which is more contagious, relief of measures and that a large proportion of the population in several countries has not been vaccinated.
– We can expect high or extremely high pressure on the hospital site in 25 countries and high or extremely high pressure on the intensive care capacity in 49 out of 53 countries, says Kluge.
(© NTB)