Andrea Ammon, Director of the ECDC
A vaccination campaign with high acceptance by at-risk personnel could reduce the number of Covid-related hospitalizations across Europe by up to 33%. This was stated this Thursday by Andrea Ammon, director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
In a call for early vaccination, the head of the European center has asked to “closely monitor” older age groups. According to the data it has presented, although deaths “remain low compared to previous times”, of the 16 countries that reported data on age-specific case counts, nine have seen the number of cases increase in people aged 80 years or older. more and 12 countries in people aged 65 or older. These increases have lasted from one to eight weeks until September 10, 2023.
“Europe will soon see the arrival of autumn, where we anticipate a resurgence of seasonal flu and RSV. We are also seeing small increases in SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the UE and the EEA and we anticipate that all three viruses will co-circulate in the coming months. With this, the need arises to highlight the importance of vaccination and other public health measures to protect people’s health,” he assured in his intervention.
In relation to SARS-CoV-2, Ammon recalls that “it continues to be capable of acquiring mutations that can facilitate its continued circulation at unpredictable times throughout the year.” Likewise, the director has described the presence of the new Omicron sublineage, BA.2.86, as “sporadic” in Europe, however, she recalls that this variant is very divergent from the SARS-CoV-2 variants currently circulating, “which could cause an increase in reinfections.”
Despite the uncertainties about how the 2023/2024 season will evolve, the head of the ECDC believes that “we must act now to minimize the expected burden on health systems caused by the cocirculation of respiratory viruses.”
It is important that priority groups are vaccinated against Covid and flu, in line with national recommendations, and combined autumn vaccination campaigns should be considered. The focus should be on vaccinating people who are most at risk of severe illness from flu and Covid, including older people, people with weakened immune systems and underlying illnesses, regardless of their age, as well as pregnant women.
In the same way, he has referred to the vaccination of health workers, in accordance with national recommendations, due to their probable greater exposure to new waves of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza, and their key role in the functioning of health systems.
Finally, Ammon has launched a call to EU and EEA States to monitor “not only SARS-CoV-2, but also how influenza and RSV viruses spread throughout the season and how they affect to people and health systems.”
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2023-09-21 17:56:42
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