Fall breaks records, Sweden rolls out boosters to all adults
Covid-19 infections broke records in parts of Europe on Wednesday, with the continent once again the epicenter of a pandemic that has led to new mobility barriers.
Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Hungary all reported new peaks in daily infections as winter takes hold in Europe and people gather indoors ahead of Christmas, providing a perfect breeding ground for Covid-19.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) today recommended vaccine boosters for all adults, with priority given to those over 40 – a major change from its previous guidelines that the extra doses should be considered for the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
“Available evidence from Israel and the United Kingdom shows a significant increase in protection against infection and serious illness following a booster dose in all age groups in the short term,” the ECDC said on Wednesday.
Many EU countries have already started giving booster doses but use different criteria to prioritize them and different intervals between the first shots and the boosters.
“No land outside the forest”
ECDC chief Andrea Ammon said boosters would increase protection against infections caused by declining immunity and “could potentially reduce the transmission in the population and prevent further hospital stays and deaths”.
She advised countries with low levels of vaccination to speed up roll-out and warned of the high risks of a further increase in deaths and hospital stays in Europe in December and January if the recommended measures are not introduced.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, acknowledged that Europe was once again at the epicenter of the pandemic, warned of a “false sense of security” over the protection offered by vaccines.
“No country is out of the woods,” he told reporters, adding that he hoped a consensus could be found at a World Trade Organization ministerial meeting next week on an IP exemption for pandemic vaccines.
Sweden will gradually start rolling out boosters to all adults, said authorities and health authorities. Booster shots of the mRNA vaccine have been offered to people 65 years of age or older, with an eye to eventually extend the shots to other groups.
“We are facing an uncertain winter,” said Sweden’s Minister of Health Lena Hallengren at a press conference. “You can contribute by staying home if you are sick or by getting vaccinated if you have not already done so, and take your booster when offered.”
Slovakia is locking up
Slovakia reported its highest daily increase in cases on Wednesday when the government approved a two-week lockout to curb the world’s fastest increase in infections.
Restaurants and non-essential shops will close and movement will be restricted to travel for necessary shopping, work, school or doctor visits.
“The situation is serious,” said Prime Minister Eduard Heger, “we came here because the (existing) measures were not observed.”
Neighboring Austria has already closed for at least 10 days this week, becoming the first to reintroduce such restrictions. It will also require the entire population to be vaccinated from 1 February, which will upset many in a country where skepticism about state restrictions on individual freedoms is high.
The Czech Republic reported its highest daily increase in infections, with cases exceeding 25,000 for the first time. The government is considering introducing mandatory vaccines for people over 60 and certain professions, such as healthcare professionals.
Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Wednesday that the government would discuss more measures on Friday.
Hungary, France and Portugal
The Netherlands registered more than 23,700 coronavirus infections in 24 hours, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic, and the government will announce new measures on Friday.
Hungary reported a record 12,637 new daily Covid-19 cases. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government, which opposes further shutdowns for fear of stifling the economy, launched a vaccination campaign this week, offering shots without prior registration.
Authorities in Russia, where daily coronavirus-related deaths are close to record levels, said they searched social networks and media sites to find people spreading false claims about the dangers of vaccination.
France will announce new Covid measures on Thursday, while Italy will tighten curbs for people who have not been vaccinated, preventing them from going to cinemas, restaurants and sporting events in new restrictions coming in from 6 December.
Portugal, one of the world’s most vaccinated countries, will provide booster shots to a quarter of the population by the end of January. The cases there reached a four-month daily maximum on Wednesday.
However, deaths are well below January levels and the incidence of infection is much lower than in most of Western Europe.
At the same time in the United States, new cases have increased by 23 percent in the past week, mostly in North America, as a sign that the region may also face a resurgence of infections.
The disease has swept the world in the two years since it was first discovered in central China, infecting more than 258 million people and killing 5.4 million.