2023-06-27 12:38:56
The European Office of the World Health Organization warned today, Tuesday, that we must not be complacent in the face of the Corona pandemic, which causes more than 1,000 deaths per week in Europe.
The regional director, Hans Kluge, said – in a press conference – that the Corona epidemic “no longer constitutes a global public health emergency, but Covid-19 has not ended.”
And the World Health Organization announced on May 5 that Corona no longer constitutes a global health emergency.
Kluge added that “more than 1,000 new deaths from Corona are still being recorded every week in the region,” which includes 53 countries and extends to Central Asia.
“This figure is underestimated due to the decline in the number of countries that regularly report deaths from COVID-19 to the World Health Organization,” he added.
He urged the authorities to secure vaccine coverage for at least 70% of the population most vulnerable to the disease.
According to the UN official, Covid is “a complex disease that we still know very little regarding,” although one in 30 Europeans has suffered from long-term Covid disease in the past three years.
Corona is long term
For her part, Emergency Situations Officer Catherine Smallwood said, “We must continue to consider the long-term repercussions of Covid, such as long-term Covid (…) These continue to have a profound impact on health in the entire world, and they cannot be left aside.”
In Europe alone, 17 million people suffered from long-term Covid symptoms for at least 3 months following their infection in that period, according to a model developed by the World Health Organization’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and published in October 2022.
Across Europe, vigilance must also be exercised in the face of the smallpox epidemic, as 22 cases were recorded in Europe last May, and following heat waves, as confirmed by the World Health Organization, the European branch.
Pandemic lessons
In a related matter, the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention published – a few weeks ago – a number of lessons learned from the Corona pandemic.
“The Corona pandemic taught us useful lessons, and it is important to review and evaluate our procedures to determine which of them were successful and which were not,” said Andrea Amon, director of the center.
“We have to better prepare for future health crises, and this must be done through actions in different areas. This includes investing in and strengthening the health workforce, improving the surveillance of communicable diseases, enhancing risk communication and community communication, and embracing cooperation between organizations, countries and regions.
The center identified 4 aspects from which lessons can be learned regarding the Corona pandemic, and to enable countries to better prepare for future pandemics or any emergency situations, namely:
Investing in the health workforce. Better prepare for the next health crisis. Intensify government and community communication on health risks. Data collection and analysis.
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