Europe Experiencing New Phase of COVID-19 Infections: WHO Warns the Continent Is Now Back at the Epicenter

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Europe is once again the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic as the number of cases and deaths continue to rise. Last week, the region recorded 1.8 million news cases or 59% of the total global cases and 24,000 deaths that account for nearly half the world's coronavirus deaths.

Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Europe chief, warned that Europe could see another half a million COVID-19 deaths by February 2020 if cases stay on this trajectory.

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A doctors works in front of a screen showing patients in their beds infected with Covid-19 in the intensive care unit of Lozenets Hospitalin Sofia on November 9, 2021. - Bulgaria is among the countries with the highest number of deaths compared to its population. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP) (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Europe Back at the Epicenter of COVID-19

Kluge said that Europe is now at another critical point of a pandemic resurgence as it is back at the pandemic's epicenter, just like a year ago.

Yahoo! News reported that Kluge and other health officials attributed the looming fourth wave of COVID-19 pandemic to low vaccination rates in some areas of the continent, the Delta variant, and the easing of public health protocols. Kluge said that if only 95% of the Europeans wore masks, about 188,000 lives could be saved in the next three months.

Sadly, only eight out of 53 countries in Europe have vaccinated more than 70% of their population, and two countries have vaccinated less than 10% of their population.

According to the BBC, the worst outbreaks are in Russia, Ukraine, and areas with low vaccination rates in Central and Eastern Europe. Germany also had a record-high 33,949 new cases on Wednesday despite vaccinating 67% of its population.

Spain remains one of the few European countries not seeing a rise in infections after vaccinating 80% of its people. Meanwhile, last week, Italy saw a 16.6% increase in COVID-19 cases despite 72% of its population being fully vaccinated and implementing strict health measures.

Although cases in the US have dropped over the past six weeks, WHO warns that Europe's experience today is a warning shot for the rest of the world as cases might surge again.

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European Countries Track New Upticks in COVID-19 Activity

According to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) under the University of Minnesota, Germany is among the European countries with high cases, and its lawmakers are calling for the federal government to give them authority to enact COVID-19 measures to address the surge in cases since the past week.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands reported 6,000 new cases, especially in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, ad The Hague. Hospitalized cases also rose, which reached a level that was last seen in May.

On the other hand, the United Kingdom's Health Security Agency (HSA) designated a new variant of interest called the AY.4.2 Delta variant sublineage. Experts said that the rising prevalence and early evidence that this might have increased growth in the country compared to the Delta variant.

Currently, the original Delta variant is still infecting many people and makes up 99.8% of the cases, although the AY 4.2 Delta variant sublineage accounts for 6% of cases in England's nine regions.

Britain has recently recorded an increase of 17.9% since last week, and experts advised that interventions should be implemented as soon as possible to avoid stronger, more disruptive measures later. However, UK Prime Minister Boris Jhonson said that there is no need yet to step up their measures.