The World Health Organization warns of a new wave of Covid in Europe and says the situation is similar to 2021 – News

The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday (19) warned of a new wave of Corona virus disease In Europe, which is experiencing a situation similar to what happened in the summer of 2021 in the northern hemisphere, with nearly 3,000 deaths per week from the disease, it called on governments to prepare for the challenge of the coming autumn and winter.

Kluge, director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, said in a statement stressing that the difference, this time, is that the Omicron variant prevails.

“With the increase in cases, we are also seeing an increase in hospitalizations, which will only rise in the fall and winter, when schools open their doors, people return from vacation and social interaction moves indoors as the weather approaches. Cold.” added.

This prospect, he says, “poses a major challenge for health workers in all countries, who are already under tremendous pressure to deal with recurring crises since 2020”.

“Keep in mind the current situation: the European region has seen three new cases of Covid-19 in the past six weeks, with nearly 3 million more cases last week, which is nearly half of all cases worldwide,” he warned.

He said: “While hospitalization rates for Covid-19 have doubled over the same period, ICU admissions have remained relatively low. However, with infection rates still rising in older age groups, Europe continues to see around 3,000 deaths from Covid-19.” 19 every week,” he said. .

The strategy recommended by WHO includes increasing the vaccination rate, giving a second booster dose to people over 5 years of age whose immunity is compromised, as well as their environment, and considering a second booster dose for certain at-risk groups, at least three months after the last dose.

The World Health Organization states that the use of face masks should be promoted indoors and on public transport, crowded public places should be ventilated and strict treatment protocols applied for those at risk of serious illness.

The organization also called for “prioritizing” contact tracing and quarantine measures in high-risk environments, as recommended worldwide, and strengthening personal protection measures (use of masks, ventilation, hand washing, and immunization).

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