Health

WHO: EU vaccination rates insufficient to prevent virus rebound

Copenhagen, Jun 10 (EFE).- Covid-19 vaccination rates in Europe are not enough to prevent a resurgence of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday, despite a recent drop in infections in the region.

“Although we’ve come far, we haven’t come far enough,” WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge told a press conference where he urged to speed up vaccinations in Europe.

“Vaccination coverage is far from sufficient to protect the region from a resurgence,” he added.

Kluge highlighted that 30% of the population of Europe have received the first shot of the vaccine, while 17% have been fully inoculated.

“The distance to go before reaching at least 80% coverage of the adult population, is still considerable,” he underlined.

Even though coronavirus cases, hospitalization and deaths continue to decline for the second consecutive month, widespread community transmission is still present, said Kluge.

“Whilst we should all recognize the progress made across most countries in the region, we must also acknowledge that we are by no means out of danger,” he warned.

Kluge said that the highly contagious Delta variant, first found in India, is “poised to take hold.”

“As vaccination coverage increases, we need to stick firmly to protective measures to suppress the virus,” he added.

“This needs to happen, even as cases decline. A combination of public health measures and vaccination – not one or the other – is the way out of this pandemic.”

Kluge also called on people to continue to “wash your hands frequently, keep a distance, choose open settings and wear a mask.”

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