The European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, said that the bloc should immediately consider intensifying genetic sequencing of cases of infection. with covid-19 And monitoring sewage, including at airports, to monitor any new strain of the virus, given the increase in infections in China.
In a letter to the 27 EU health ministers, she added that the bloc should exercise “extreme vigilance” with China’s lifting of travel restrictions on January 8, with the scarcity of reliable data regarding the epidemiological situation and examinations there.
Corona check
Corona check
Kyriakides advised ministers to evaluate their current practices regarding genetic sequencing of the coronavirus “as an immediate step”.
And I wrote to them that countries that have reduced the frequency of these checks should consider returning to intensify them, adding that it is important to continue or start monitoring waste water, especially from major airports.
She indicated that the conglomerate needs early monitoring of any new strain that appears in order to be able to move quickly.
The EU health commissioner’s letter, dated December 29, followed an online meeting of more than 100 representatives from the bloc’s countries, health agencies and the World Health Organization to discuss how to deal with the outbreak in China.
A source in the European Union said that health experts are expected to hold a meeting on how to deal with the crisis next week.
Italy urged the rest of the European Union to follow suit and conduct checks for those coming from China, but most of the bloc countries did not see the need for that. Kyriakides said some member states had proposed measures such as random screening of travellers.
