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Copenhagen (AFP) – The European Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday called for a greater vaccination effort in Eastern Europe, warning of the “tidal wave” linked to the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which threatens that part of the continent.
In the last two weeks, cases of covid-19 have more than doubled in six countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine) located in the organization’s eastern European region, said Hans Kluge, director WHO region.
“As expected, the omicron wave is moving eastward and ten member countries have already detected the variant,” Kluge said in a statement.
The WHO European Region comprises 53 countries, several of which are in Central Asia.
Kluge lamented low vaccination rates in some parts of the region, with less than 40% of people over the age of 60 fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
It also noted that in Bulgaria, Georgia and North Macedonia less than 49% of health workers had received at least one dose of the measles vaccine.
Given the “omicron tsunami and the delta variant that still circulates widely in the east, the situation is worrying,” Kluge said.
© 2022 AFP
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