Covid
WHO Europe chief voices ‘grave concern’ about Covid rebound
The head of the World Health Organisation’s regional office said that a 53-country region in Europe and Central Asia faces the “real threat” of a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic in the coming weeks or already is experiencing a new wave of infections.
Dr. Hans Kluge said case counts are beginning to near record levels again and the pace of transmission in the region, which stretches as far east as the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, is of “grave concern.”
“We are at another critical point of pandemic resurgence,” Kluge told reporters from WHO Europe headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“Europe is back at the epicentre of the pandemic, where we were one year ago, ” he added.
He said the difference now is that health authorities know more about the virus and have better tools to combat it.
Relaxed prevention measures and low vaccination rates in some areas explain the latest surge, he said.