The World Health Organization estimates that 700,000 Europeans could die from the coronavirus by spring.
The WHO’s European Office says that the number of corona deaths in Europe will almost double this winter, reports AP.
The number of dead will then exceed 2.2 million.
The WHO’s European Office, which is located in Copenhagen, states that more and more research suggests that the vaccines’ protection against infection and mild disease is weakened, and recommends that vulnerable groups receive a booster dose. This applies to people with weakened immune systems, people over 60 years and health professionals.
The WHO’s international headquarters in Geneva, on the other hand, has repeatedly asked for the booster dose to be put on hold, so that more doses may be available for developing countries that have far lower vaccination rates than western countries, writes AP.
Prayer to the people
The European Office has issued a request that people now get vaccinated, maintain good hand hygiene and stay at home to stop the spread of the virus, writes AP.
– Today, the covid-19 situation across Europe and Central Asia is very serious. We are facing a challenging winter, but we should not be without hope. We can all – both governments, health authorities and individuals – take decisive action to stabilize the pandemic, said the regional director of the WHO’s European Office, Hans Kluge.
Doubling death toll
The European region, which extends deep into Central Asia, has reported that corona-related deaths have risen to nearly 4,200 per week. This is a doubling of the death tolls recorded towards the end of September.
The total number of deaths in the region has so far exceeded 1.5 million.
The three factors that drive the increase in infection – and the doubling in deaths – are the highly contagious delta variant of the virus, a relief of measures, and the fact that large parts of the European population are still unvaccinated, according to the WHO. They also state that an extreme strain on hospital capacity is expected in 49 of 52 countries between now and 1 March 2022.
–
