CENTRAL ASIA, EUROPE COULD SEE 700K EXTRA COVID DEATHS BY MARCH 1: WHO

Tue 23 November 2021:

The World Health Organization has warned that another 700,000 COVID-19 deaths could occur in Europe and Central Asia by March 1.

The same body warned two and a half weeks ago that excess fatalities could reach 500,000 by February 1.

It reported that COVID-19-related deaths increased to nearly 4,200 per day last week, more than doubling the levels recorded at the end of September. The total number of deaths in WHO’s European region, which includes 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia, has now surpassed 1.5 million.

“Cumulative reported deaths are projected to reach over 2.2 million by spring next year, based on current trends,” the UN health body said in a statement.

“Today, the COVID-19 situation across Europe and Central Asia is very serious. We face a challenging winter ahead, but we should not be without hope, because all of us — governments, health authorities, individuals — can take decisive action to stabilise the pandemic,” said Dr Hans Kluge, the regional director for WHO Europe.

WHO Europe also stated that there is growing evidence of a decline in vaccine protection against infection and mild disease, and that a “booster dose” should be given as a priority to the most vulnerable populations, including people with weakened immune systems, people over the age of 60, and health care workers.

According to WHO Europe, three factors are driving the increase: the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus, an easing of restrictive measures such as mask-wearing and physical separation in some areas, and large swaths of the European population that remain unvaccinated.

“We can expect that there will be high or extreme stress on hospital beds in 25 countries, and high or extreme stress in intensive care units (ICUs) in 49 out of 53 countries between now and 1 March 2022,” a WHO Europe statement said.

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