The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have announced that another wave of coronavirus infections has begun in Europe.
According to WHO and ECDC, the number of cases on the continent has begun to rise again. This is because the colder months have come. Health officials are once again insisting on the need to protect the health of citizens using all available tools, including vaccination.
“Although we are no longer where we were a year ago, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over. Unfortunately, we see that the rates in Europe are growing again, and this indicates the beginning of a new wave of infections. With the arrival of autumn and winter, influenza can also be expected to resume,” said Hans Kluge, Director of WHO Europe, and Andrea Ammon, Director of ECDC, in a joint statement.
The WHO and ECDC explained that the simultaneous circulation of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza would put vulnerable people at increased risk of severe illness and place a burden on health systems.
To prevent this from happening, WHO and ECDC recommend that all countries use effective tools against both viruses and urge that priority attention be given to vulnerable groups of people.
Data provided by the WHO shows that millions of people across Europe have still not been vaccinated against the coronavirus disease and that the number of infections has increased by eight percent compared to the previous week.
As such, European countries are strongly encouraged to reach unvaccinated people and make sure they get their doses of vaccine, while also administering booster doses according to national guidelines.
“It is important that the following priority groups be vaccinated against both influenza and COVID-19: healthcare workers, people over 60, pregnant women, and those with underlying diseases and conditions,” the WHO and ECDC emphasize.
While the situation with coronavirus continues to remain stable in all EU countries, earlier this month it was reported that France had entered the eighth wave of COVID-19. The Strategic Council for Vaccination of France states that all indicators of the eighth wave are on the rise.