Covid still causes 1,000 weekly deaths in Europe, says WHO – 06/28/2023 – Health

The European office of the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an alert on the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the organization, even if the situation has improved, it is necessary to maintain vigilance in relation to the virus, which still causes around 1,000 deaths a week in Europe.

On May 5, the WHO declared that the pandemic is no longer a global health emergency. However, “although it is no longer a global public health emergency, Covid-19 has not disappeared”, said WHO regional director Hans Kluge at a press conference.

According to him, “around 1,000 new deaths from Covid-19 continue to occur every week in the region”. In addition, this balance would be underestimated, “due to the decrease in the number of countries that regularly inform the WHO about deaths attributed to Covid-19”.

Kluge called on authorities to ensure vaccination of at least 70% of the vulnerable population. He also recalled that it is “a complex disease, about which we know very little”, despite the fact that one in 30 Europeans has suffered from long-term Covid in the last three years.

According to official data, almost 36 million inhabitants of the region, which includes 53 countries and extends to Central Asia, have been affected by the long-term Covid.

“We must remain mindful of the long-term consequences of Covid [que] still have a profound impact on the health of the whole world and cannot be ignored”, stressed the entity’s emergency situations manager, Catherine Smallwood.

Surveillance of the mpox (formerly called monkeypox) epidemic is also still needed in Europe, with 22 cases reported in May in the region, WHO Europe said.

(With information from AFP)