About 700,000 people could die from here to March by covid-19 in Europe if the current contagion trend continues, the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO forecasts suggest that 25 countries in the European region – which includes 53 from this continent and Central Asia – risk suffering from a lack of hospital beds and that 49 would reach a situation of high or extreme stress in the ucis of now to March.
“To live with this virus and go about our daily life we need an approach that exceeds the vaccine. That means receiving standard doses and a booster if offered, but also incorporating preventive measures into our routines, “WHO-Europe director Hans Kluge said in a statement.
Among them he mentions the use of indoor masks, hand hygiene, space ventilation, keeping your distance, or coughing into your elbow, which would help “avoid unnecessary tragedy and loss of life,” as well as limit disruption in society.
WHO also advocates combine these measures with public health interventions like the implantation of passport-covid, the isolation of those with symptoms, the tests, the tracing and the quarantines.
The European region continues under “the firm hold” of the pandemic, explains this organization: last week the number of daily deaths doubled to 4,200 and the 1.5 million deaths were exceeded since the beginning of the pandemic, which would increase to the 2.2 million accumulated in spring, according to current projections.
According to the Institute for Health Indicators and Evaluation, in charge of developing models for the WHO, covid-19 is right now the leading cause of death in the European region.
The delta variant
The high transmission of coronavirus is due to several factors: the dominance of the Delta variant, the lifting of restrictions, the drop in temperatures and the consequent increase in indoor meetings, and the large number of people not yet vaccinated.
More of 1 billion doses have been delivered in the region, in which 53.5% of the total population has completed the pattern, but that figure hides large differences between countries: while some do not reach 10%, others exceed 80%.
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Hence, the WHO recalls that vaccines are “vital” to prevent severe disease and deaths, and that it is necessary to increase immunization rates, taking into account that the evidence indicates that the protection they provide is declining.
“In this context, a booster doses to the most vulnerable, including immunosuppressants, as a priority. Depending on the national context of dose availability and the covid-19 epidemic, countries should also consider giving it to those over 60 years of age and health personnel, “says WHO.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com