There Could Be Over 7 Lakh Deaths By March, WHO Warns As Fourth Wave Of COVID-19 Grips Europe
There seems to be no end at sight for the COVID-19 pandemic as Europe, which has one of the best vaccination rates is seeing another resurgence of the deadly outbreak.
Across Europe, several countries have already gone back to tough lockdown measures or are on the verge of doing it as COVID-19 cases are spiraling out of control yet again, just ahead of the festival season.
While countries like India are still in the tail end of the second wave of COVID-19, many in Europe are on the fourth wave.
Europe could see COVID fourth wave
Europe remains "in the firm grip" of Covid and the continent's death toll could top 2.2 million this winter if current trends continue, the World Health Organization warned.
A further 700,000 people in the 53 countries that comprise the WHO's European region could die by March 1, the global health agency said, in addition to the 1.5 million who have already succumbed to the virus.
It expects "high or extreme stress in intensive care units (ICUs) in 49 out of 53 countries between now and March 1, 2022".
Europe's return to the pandemic's epicentre has been blamed on sluggish vaccine uptake in some nations, the highly contagious Delta variant, colder weather moving people indoors again and the easing of restrictions.
COVID-related deaths doubling
According to WHO data, Covid-related deaths in Europe increased last week to almost 4,200 a day, doubling from 2,100 a day at the end of September.
With intensive care beds swiftly filling up and its weekly incidence rate at an all-time high of 399.8 new infections per 100,000 people, Germany's worst-hit regions have ordered new shutdowns.
What is also worrying is emerging evidence that vaccine-induced protection against infection and mild disease was declining.
In the European Union, 67.7 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
Booster shot conundrum
Several countries, including Greece, France and Germany, are moving towards requiring a third booster shot for someone to be considered fully vaccinated.
The regional director for WHO Europe, Hans Kluge, said Europe and Central Asia "face a challenging winter ahead".
He called for a "vaccine plus" approach, consisting of a combination of vaccinations, social distancing, the use of face masks and hand washing.
The WHO said face masks reduce Covid incidence by 53 percent according to a recent study, and "over 160,000 deaths could be prevented (by March 1) if universal mask coverage of 95 percent was achieved".
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