The European office of the World Health Organization warned today, Tuesday, that there should be no laxity in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, which causes more than a thousand deaths weekly in Europe. Regional Director Hans Kluge stated in a press conference that "it is no longer considered a global public health emergency, but COVID-19 is not over."
Kluge added that "over a thousand new deaths resulting from COVID-19 are still being recorded weekly in the region," which includes 53 countries extending to Central Asia. He continued that "this number is underestimated due to the decline in the number of countries that regularly report COVID-19 deaths to the World Health Organization," urging authorities to ensure vaccination coverage of at least 70% among the most vulnerable populations.
According to the UN official, COVID-19 is "a complex disease about which we still know little," despite one in every 30 Europeans suffering from long COVID in the past three years.
