WHO warns of another half a million deaths from Coronavirus

Geneva, (ST) – The World Health Organization warned of the escalation of infection with the Corona virus on the European continent, with fears that about half a million new deaths will be recorded by next March.

The WHO’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said in an interview with the BBC, that the World Health Organization is very concerned about the spread of the Coronavirus in Europe, which is facing a new, large wave of infection. He added that about half a million new deaths may be recorded by next March unless urgent action is taken.

 Kluge said that factors such as the onset of winter, insufficient vaccinations and the regional spread of the more transmissible delta mutant were behind the disease’s spread.

Kluge also said that the “current pace of transmission across the 53 countries of the European Region is of grave concern”.

He called for an increase in the uptake of vaccines, basic public health measures and new medical treatments to help combat this rise.

The warning comes at a time when several European countries recorded unprecedentedly high rates of infections and imposed complete or partial closures.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced last Wednesday that Europe is the only region in the world in which the rate of deaths and injuries due to Covid 19 increased during the previous week.

Raghda Sawas