WHO Europe Director-General Hans Kluge stated at a press conference on Tuesday that corona cases have more than doubled in six countries in the last two weeks: in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine.
– As expected, the omicron wave is now moving east. I urge the authorities to investigate the causes that affect lower demand and acceptance of vaccines and develop methods to increase vaccination quickly, he said, according to the news agency AP.
WARNING: WHO’s Europe director Hans Kluge stated at a press conference on Tuesday that corona cases have more than doubled in six countries in the last two weeks. Photo: NTB / Zoltan Mathe / MTI / AP
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– Worrying
In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, less than 40 percent of those over 60 have been fully vaccinated, according to Kluge.
In Bulgaria, Georgia and northern Macedonia, less than 40 percent of healthcare professionals have received at least one dose of the corona vaccine.
– Important contribution
Kluge believes that this is not the right time to ease restrictions in Eastern Europe.
“Due to the fact that we are facing a tidal wave of omicrons, and that the delta variant is still circulating in Eastern Europe, this worrying situation is not the right time to ease restrictions that we know help to reduce the spread of covid-19,” he said. according to Reuters.
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Optimist
He emphasized the importance of avoiding large crowds, the use of sanitary napkins indoors and regular testing.
However, the WHO director emphasized that he is optimistic about the future, thanks to the corona vaccine, that people have immunity due to a history of infection, and that the infection is reduced by seasonal variation.
Omikron is known to cause milder symptoms than previous variants, but it is more contagious.
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Several Eastern European countries have been hit hard of corona earlier in the pandemicboth as a result of the fact that the vaccination rate is far lower than elsewhere in Europe, and that new infection control measures have been delayed.
In November, the WHO declared that Europe was once again the epicenter of the corona pandemic. However, it was the countries in the east that reigned at the top of the death statistics. In Romania, Bulgaria and the Balkan countries, some of the highest death rates in relation to the population were recorded before Christmas.
In the last month, however, several European countries, including Norwayrelieved many of the corona measures.
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