A new virus variant and increased social interaction prompt the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn of a new wave of infections in Europe.
Infection rates have risen by 10 percent in the last week, and the risk of a new corona wave is growing, says WHO’s European Director Hans Kluge.
He points to slow vaccination, new corona variants and increased social gatherings as reasons for the increase. He also fears that the European Football Championship will be a new super-spreading event.
– There will be a new wave of infections in Europe unless we remain disciplined, says Kluge.
Hundreds of football fans who have returned from matches in St. Petersburg and London have tested positive.
WHO emergency manager Catherine Smallwood says host cities need to do more to control supporters’ activity, including in crowded bars and pubs after matches. The increase in infection comes after a ten-week period with declining numbers.
It is especially the spread of the delta variant that contributes to the increase, and the European Center for Prevention and Control (ECDC) believes that the new variant may soon make up nine out of ten cases of infection in the EU.
In Denmark, between 16 and 25 percent of the cases registered are the delta variant, according to the Statens Serum Institut. In Germany, the delta variant accounted for 37 percent of cases in the week to June 20, twice as much as the week before, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
(©NTB)
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