🎥🔴 Watch LIVE as @hans_kluge and experts from WHO/Europe provide a situation update on #COVID19 in the European Region before answering questions from journalists twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
Last month, we alerted that a further half a million lives could be lost by early 2022 unless we take urgent action. We called upon governments and people to take immediate steps to bring down transmission, by implementing 5 pandemic stabilizers @hans_kluge
A month has passed now and a further 120,000 people have died, and the Region has added another 10 million #COVID19 cases to its tally @hans_kluge
By the end of this week, 1 in 10 people across the Europe and Central Asia will have had #COVID19 infection, confirmed by laboratory testing @hans_kluge
While the end of the year and the festive season is approaching, reported deaths due to #COVID19 have reached a high plateau, close to 4,100 deaths/day, doubling from 2,100 deaths/day at the end of September 2021...
... and cumulative reported deaths from #COVID19 passed 1.5 million for the 53 countries in our Region just two weeks ago @hans_kluge
Case notification rates have increased across all age groups, with the highest rates currently observed in the 5-14 years age group @hans_kluge
While cases and deaths have more than doubled in the past two months, COVID-19 deaths have remained significantly below previous peaks. Thus, the mortality would have been far worse without vaccination @hans_kluge
55% of all people in Europe and Central Asia are fully vaccinated and 43 out of 53 countries now offer an additional booster dose to their most vulnerable populations @hans_kluge
Research conducted by WHO Europe and @ECDC_EU has found that from December 2020 to November 2021, at least 470,000 lives were directly saved through #COVID19 vaccination @hans_kluge
This is an overwhelming affirmation of the value of vaccines and science, a testimony to government and healthcare worker commitment and most of all a great recognition of the public’s acceptance and support to tackling this pandemic @hans_kluge
The Delta variant remains dominant across Europe and Central Asia, and we know that the COVID-19 vaccines remain effective in reducing severe disease and deaths from it @hans_kluge
It is yet to be seen how and whether the latest #COVID19 variant of concern, Omicron, will be more transmissible, or more or less severe @hans_kluge
Information available on the variant is preliminary and evolving, including how effective our countermeasures are, including our vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics @hans_kluge
This brings me to my triple call today:
1⃣ To shift from reactive mode to stabilizing the crisis
2⃣ To protect children and their schools as part of the response strategy
3⃣ Not to mandate without reaching out to the communities first
@hans_kluge
1⃣ To shift from reactive mode to stabilizing the crisis
2⃣ To protect children and their schools as part of the response strategy
3⃣ Not to mandate without reaching out to the communities first
@hans_kluge
The first call is that we need to shift from ‘reaction’ to ‘stabilization’ mode in this crisis. There are 5 pandemic stabilizers to keep mortality down:
1⃣Increasing vaccine uptake
2⃣Administering a booster
3⃣Doubling the rate of mask wearing indoors
1⃣Increasing vaccine uptake
2⃣Administering a booster
3⃣Doubling the rate of mask wearing indoors
My second call is to create COVID-safe learning for young children so that we can avoid school closures and home-learning @hans_kluge
It is not unusual today to see 2 to 3 times higher incidence among young children than in the average population. The health risks extend beyond the children themselves @hans_kluge
As school holidays approach, we must also acknowledge that children contaminate their parents and grandparents at home, with a ten times increased risk for these adults to develop severe disease, be hospitalized or die when non-vaccinated @hans_kluge
The use of masks and ventilation, and regular testing, should be a standard at all primary schools and vaccinating children should be discussed and considered nationally, as part of school protection measure @hans_kluge
Vaccination of younger children not only reduces their role in COVID-19 transmission but also protects them from pediatric severity, whether associated with long-COVID or Multi System Inflammatory Syndromes @hans_kluge
Finally, my third call: is not to mandate vaccination if you haven’t reached out first to the communities. Mandates around vaccination are an absolute last resort and only applicable when all other feasible options to improve vaccination uptake have been exhausted @hans_kluge
They have proven effective in some environments, to increase vaccine uptake. But the effectiveness of mandates is very context specific. The effect that mandating vaccination could have on public confidence and public trust, as well as vaccination uptake, must be considered...
... what is acceptable in one society and community may not be effective and acceptable in another @hans_kluge
Mandates must be supported by appropriate policy considerations, a comprehensive implementation plan, including provisions for exemptions, and a strong communications component for the population @hans_kluge
Ultimately, mandates should never contribute to increasing social inequalities in access to health and social services @hans_kluge
Any measure that may restrict a right or movement of a person, such as lockdowns or mandates, needs to assure that mental health and wellbeing is cared for, that a means of prevention/early detection and management of domestic violence is in place...
... and that micro-economic support is available to those most affected @hans_kluge
So, be it points: 1⃣ stabilization of COVID-19, 2⃣ safe schooling, or 3⃣ dialogue on mandates and other public health and social measures, the dialogue with communities needs to remain the cornerstone of the response @hans_kluge
Omicron is in sight and on the rise and we are right to be concerned and cautious. But, as I said, the problem now is Delta and however we succeed against #Delta today is a win over #Omicron tomorrow. Before it eventually surges @hans_kluge
We are in the business of stabilizing a pandemic, and that means not one variant at a time but all variants, at once.
Thank you.
@hans_kluge
Thank you.
@hans_kluge
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