WHO warns of COVID-19 spikes in southern and central Europe

The head of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) European regional office today warned that while Europe has seen an overall decline in new COVID-19 cases over the past 3 weeks, the situation is not improving anywhere on the continent. .

WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge, MD, MPH, said in an update that although there has been a slight decline in cases in Western Europe, nearly half of the countries in the region are seeing an increase of infections, as it is now moving eastward in early autumn and causing spikes in central and southern Europe.

“These reports are a cause for grave concern, a stark reminder that the vast majority of us remain susceptible to the virus,” Kluge said.

Kluge noted that the region still accounts for 40% of new global cases and 50% of deaths. Over 35,000 new deaths from COVID-19 were reported in Europe last week. He urged countries that are seeing a reduction in cases to expand their public health infrastructure and prepare for the next increase.

With vaccines on the horizon, Kluge encouraged European countries to decide who should be vaccinated first to maximize the impact of limited initial doses, and urged citizens concerned about vaccination to seek reliable information from reliable sources, adding that all Clinical data from the vaccine trials will be carefully evaluated for quality, safety and efficacy.

“The promise of a vaccine is great, but its full potential will not be realized without strong preparation and community acceptance,” Kluge said. “But let’s also be clear, the vaccine isn’t here today, not everyone will get it when it arrives, so it’s imperative that we continue to practice basic protective behaviors (like wearing a mask).”

The European Medicines Agency will meet on 29 December to review the safety and efficacy data on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and on 12 January 2021 to review the data on the Moderna vaccine. Approval for those vaccines could come soon after those meetings.

As of November 30, nine European countries have established interim recommendations for groups that should be given priority to get their first doses of the vaccine, according to a new report from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. These recommendations put the elderly, healthcare professionals and people with certain comorbidities at the fore.

Closure of the ski resorts

One of the measures that Western European countries have taken to reduce the spread of the virus in the coming weeks and keep new infections from falling is the closure of ski resorts over the holidays, a move that France, Germany and Italy have all made . But Swiss health minister Alain Berset said today he will not bow to pressure to close his country’s ski areas, according to Reuters.

“Switzerland does not react to pressure from other countries,” Berset told reporters.

The BBC reports that France will impose random border controls to prevent French citizens from skiing in Switzerland. Several European Union (EU) leaders tried to coordinate their plans before Christmas, but Switzerland is not part of the EU. Austria and Spain have also expressed reluctance to close the ski slopes.

Italy, meanwhile, announced today that it will ban travel between regions during the Christmas holidays, according to CNN. The ban will run from 21 December to 6 January. The government is also considering a national curfew during the Christmas holidays.

Elsewhere in Europe, Greece has extended the national blockade that began last month until December 14, Reuters reports. A government spokesman said cases have declined in the country, but at a slower pace than expected. Hospitals in northern Greece, the most affected region in the country, are operating at full capacity.

And in Russia, coronavirus infections hit a record 28,145 new confirmed cases today, according to the National Herald. Russia has the fourth total of confirmed infections in the world, with 2.4 million. Government officials resisted a second nationwide lockdown and widespread business closure.

Soaring in Iran, Indonesia

In other global developments of COVID-19:

• Iran today reported 13,922 new cases of COVID-19 in its third wave of coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total to over 1 million, Reuters reports. Iran is the hardest hit country in the Middle East, with a death toll of 49,348.
• Indonesia broke its daily record of infections today, reporting 8,369 new cases, according to the Jakarta Post.
• The current global total of confirmed COVID-19 infections is 64,918,435, with 1,501,076 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 dashboard.