WHO warns of Covid surge – Reuters

Europe is likely to enter a new wave of Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have said, urging the region to act immediately .

“Although we are not where we were a year ago, it is clear that the Covid-19 pandemic is still not over,” WHO Director for Europe Hans Kluge and ECDC Director Andrea Ammon said in a joint statement on Wednesday. “We are unfortunately seeing indicators rising in Europe suggesting that another wave of infections has begun,” they noted.

Health officials have said all available tools, including vaccination, should be used to protect people, especially the most vulnerable.

« The potential co-circulation of Covid-19 and seasonal influenza will put vulnerable people at increased risk of severe illness and death, with the likelihood of increased pressure on already strained hospitals and healthcare workers. for nearly three years on the front lines of the pandemic, » read the statement.

Authorities say millions of people across Europe have still not been bitten by Covid-19, while « There’s no time to lose. » They stressed the need to « Be ready and act now » and urged people to “Show up as soon as possible for the Covid-19 and flu vaccination.

According to WHO data, only Europe recorded an increase in the number of infection cases in the last week of September – an increase of 8% compared to the previous period.

Last month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the end of the Covid-19 pandemic – which began in 2019 – was « Overview. » While the virus is still spreading at the same level as in 2021, despite mass vaccination, deaths have fallen markedly.

According to the organization, since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 620 million confirmed cases of Covid-19, resulting in more than 6.5 million deaths.