Only four European countries are below a crucial level of covid-19 cases, while the continent is struggling to contain new outbreaks. The “alarm threshold” of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is 20 cases per 100,000 people, an average of seven days.
Only Germany (with 18.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), Finland (15.5), Cyprus (14.6) and Norway (13.9) are below this “critical threshold” of cases, according to ECDC data released this Monday. At the other end of the scale are the Czech Republic (167.6), the Netherlands (140.3) and France (120.3).
In these countries, the risk of contracting the new coronavirus is high, as there is a very high probability of infection and more vulnerable people, that is, high-risk groups face a “very high impact” of the disease.
The death rate has also been rising in Europe and the rise in case levels is recorded in 27 countries, according to the agency’s weekly report, published on Thursday.
In Europe, several countries are also introducing new restrictions to halt the spread of covid-19.
In Ireland, the National Public Health Emergency Team recommended the implementation of tighter measures across the country.
Iceland has introduced a number of new rules, including restrictions on gatherings and the closure of some leisure facilities.
Paris is on the verge of a new closure, with the large area of the French capital classified as a “high alert” zone.
A Czech Republic has already entered a state of emergency.
Berlin’s central districts have been classified as risk areas by the German health agency.
Meanwhile, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced it will no longer comply with quarantine this Tuesday, after contacting António Lobo Xavier, who tested positive for covid-19. Von der Leyen thus ignored the recommendations made by health authorities and the European Union itself for 14 days of self-isolation.
In the UK, there was a failure to register almost 16,000 infections. The British health authority admitted that thousands of cases had not been included in the count of infections by the new coronavirus in the country due to a “technical issue”.
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