GENEVA (PA) – A senior World Health Organization official says Europe has exceeded 1 million deaths caused by COVID-19 and the situation remains “serious”, with around 1.6 million new cases reported each week in region.
The comments made by Dr Hans Kluge on Thursday were aimed at stressing that Europe needs to guard against social distancing and speed up vaccinations, as virus variants lead to new infections at record levels in some countries.
Overall, a record from Johns Hopkins University shows that nearly 3 million deaths were linked to COVID-19 worldwide – the strongest blow in America, followed by Europe. The United States, Brazil and Mexico reported the highest number of deaths, collectively at over 1.1 million.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Greece, Kluge pointed to “early signs that transmission could slow down in several countries” in the WHO’s European region of 53 countries, which stretches across Central Asia – and cited “declining incidence”. among the elderly.
He said the proportion of COVID-19 deaths among people over the age of 80, who received priority for vaccines, had dropped to almost 30% – the lowest level in the pandemic.
The UK, in particular, has seen new COVID-19 infections and deaths drop dramatically since January, due to a successful vaccination program and a prolonged national deadlock that is only reversed in stages.
Addressing recent concerns about vaccines, Kluge also said that the risk of people suffering from blood clots is much higher for people with COVID-19 than for people receiving the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
“There is no doubt that the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective in reducing COVID-19 hospitalization and preventing deaths,” he said, adding that the WHO recommends its use for all eligible adults.
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