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The Regional Director for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO), Hans Kluge, warned this Thursday of a “very serious situation” on the continent, with a weekly increase in coronavirus cases higher than that registered in the first peak of March.
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In a press conference to evaluate the latest data regarding the evolution of the pandemic in Europe, Kluge specified that the cases registered in the region last week exceeded 300,000.
The OMS appealed to “regional coherence” in the face of “alarming rates of contagion” for the coronavirus in Europe and a coordinated action for which he considers that there is still room.
In the last two weeks, more than half of the European countries registered an increase in cases of more than 10% and in seven of them they even doubled.
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We were able to observe the impact of the strict restriction measures
“In the spring and early summer we were able to see the impact of the strict restriction measures and we saw our efforts and our sacrifices prosper” to the point of reach the lowest numbers of the pandemic in Junehe declared.
In this sense, he added, the September numbers should serve as a “wake-up call.” Although the numbers are also a reflection of a greater number of tests or analyzes, show “alarming rates of transmission throughout the region”, said.
Since the start of the pandemic, Europe has recorded 4,893,614 coronavirus cases and 226,524 deaths. Beyond the numbers, “the impact on mental health, on economies, on lives and on society is monumental“he added.
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For this reason, Kluge called for the “collective effort” of the 53 member states of the WHO in Europe and recalled that “The responses are very effective when the actions are immediate and decisive.”
“However, the virus is relentless when informality and misinformation prevail“, he warned.
The wake-up call
The “hopeful message,” Kluge said, is that there is still room for action, also given that mortality from coronavirus is now lower than that recorded in March.
At the same time called to be alert to the arrival of autumn, with the wave of gripe, the increase in mortality among the elderly, the reopening of schools and the beginning of the academic year.
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He also referred to the situation in Spain and France, which after suffering a strong impact from the pandemic They seemed to have controlled the situation, and again report a notable increase in cases.
According to Kluge, the decrease in cases was due not to natural causes of virus evolution, but to strict measures of public health introduced, so that if pressure is reduced, it is logical to see an increase, he argued.
In this sense, he stated that these countries did well considering the circumstances and added that in many cases it is being possible to control outbreaks locally, which opens the hope of not having to introduce confinements at a generalized level, “although the situation will have to be observed closely,” he added.
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On the other hand, Kluge He appealed to make use of what is known so far about the pandemic “to apply what works and not apply what does not work”, and at the same time not stop updating scientific knowledge.
Reduce the quarantine period
Kluge referred to the “immense individual and social impact that may have a slight reduction in the quarantine period“.
The concept of quarantine must be protected
At the same time, he stressed that “the concept of quarantine must be protected, continuously adapted, clarified and well communicated, without ambiguity.”
He specified that quarantine is a “cornerstone” in the fight against the pandemic and that the most “conservative” calculations estimate a period of 14 days, which includes between 3 and 5 days before and 5 days after the appearance of symptoms.
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Kluge He also alluded to the need to “understand people’s concerns” and “empathize with their fatigue”, a “natural” response to a long health crisis, he added.
Among the “key strategies” he mentioned “segmented and adapted actions” and talked about finding ways to engage people and communities, to focus on “reducing damage” rather than closing public life again and “acknowledging suffering and communicating hope.”
It is about “going from doing nothing to doing things differently, find new ways of socializing and avoid loneliness“, he stressed.
(Also read: Spanish schools reopen amid a new wave of infections)
EFE
