We must not be complacent in the face of Covid, which is responsible for a thousand deaths every week in Europe, the European office of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned today.
"Even though it is no longer a global health emergency, the Covid-19 it has not disappeared," regional director Hans Kluge said at a press conference.
The WHO announced on May 5 that its pandemic Covid-19 it is no longer a global health emergency.
“Nearly 1.000 new deaths attributable to Covid-19 continue to be recorded every week in the region," he said.
Furthermore, “this figure is an underestimate due to the decline in the number of countries that systematically report deaths due to Covid-19 to the WHO," Kluge added, calling on the authorities to ensure vaccination coverage of at least 70% of the vulnerable population.
According to the UN official, it is a "complex disease about which we continue to know little" despite 1 in 30 Europeans suffering from long Covid over the past three years.
According to these estimates, about 36 million inhabitants of the region that includes 53 countries and extends to central Asia, have undoubtedly been affected by the long Covid.
"We must continue to focus on the long-term consequences of Covid, such as long Covid (…) These continue to have a large impact on health around the world and cannot be ignored," said emergency manager Catherine Smallwood.
Across Europe, vigilance also remains for the outbreak of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) – 22 cases were recorded in Europe in May – and the effects of heat waves, according to WHO Europe.
Source: RES-EAP