The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that despite the decline in the level of Covid-19 infection in Europe, the risk of another wave of outbreaks remains high, reports The Guardian.
This could be due to a more contagious strain of coronavirus, Delta, said Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
Calling people and governments to “exercise caution and common sense” all summer, Kluge said the virus would continue to spread as travel increased and people began to meet more.
“We have already experienced it. Last summer, the number of cases gradually increased in the younger age groups and then moved to the older age groups, resulting in the loss of many lives in the autumn and winter of 2020. We will not make that mistake again,” said Kluge.
WHO spokeswoman Katie Smolwood explained that the Delta type, which was first discovered in India, was of particular concern. “It’s not yet widespread in the European region, but in some countries it has already ‘squeezed out’ the dominant type of Alpha,” she said.
The expert added that, for the time being, the assessment is that it does pose a significant risk of spread.
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