Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 17th Jan. Head of the WHO in Europe Dr. Hans Kluge said on Tuesday that COVID-19 vaccines saved at least 1.4 million lives in Europe “irrefutable” proof of the power of these inoculations.”
Dr. Hans Kluge stressed that without vaccines, the death toll on the continent “could have been around four million, possibly even higher.”
Over 2.5 million COVID-19 deaths, and 277 million confirmed cases, were reported in the vast WHO European Region, which comprised 53 countries stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
WHO said analysis of 34 countries showed that most people whose lives were saved by vaccines, 90 per cent, were over 60.
The vaccines reduced deaths by 57 per cent in the period between their rollout in December 2020 through March 2023, with the first booster doses alone saving an estimated 700,000 lives.
Dr. Kluge said “Today, there are 1.4 million people in our region most of them elderly who are around to enjoy life with their loved ones because they took the vital decision to be vaccinated against COVID-19.”
“This is the power of vaccines. The evidence is irrefutable,” he added.
COVID-19 rates in Europe remain elevated but are decreasing.
WHO recommended that people at highest risk of the disease should continue to be re-vaccinated 6 to 12 months after their most recent dose.
The agency stressed that the category includes older persons, frontline health workers, pregnant women, and people who are immune compromised or have significant chronic medical conditions.
WHO is seeing widespread circulation of respiratory viruses like influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and measles in the European region.
Dr. Kluge reported RSV rates peaked before the new year and are declining, and influenza rates are rapidly rising, with a likely surge expected over the coming weeks.
There has been a 60 per cent increase in reported hospitalizations for the flu over the past two weeks and a 21 per cent increase in ICU admissions, compared to the previous two weeks, WHO reported.
=The agency noted that flu cases increased four-fold between November and December, with 38 countries reporting the start of the seasonal influenza epidemic. Those most affected by severe disease are people aged 65 and older and the very young.
“We are concerned about reports of localised pressures on hospitals and overcrowding in emergency rooms, due to a confluence of circulating respiratory viruses,” he said.
Dr. Kluge stressed that COVID-19 infections rates are broadly decreasing across Europe, the situation can rapidly change in the face of the new variant of interest, JN.1, now the most common variant reported globally.
“Though there’s no current evidence to suggest the JN.1 variant is more severe, the unpredictable nature of this virus shows how vital it is that countries continue to monitor for any new variants,” he said.
Dr. Kluge underscored the need for continued surveillance as the disease “is here to stay” as many countries have reduced or stopped reporting COVID-19 data to WHO
“We know how to keep ourselves and others safe, whether from COVID-19 or other respiratory infections,” he said.
He referred to measures such as staying home if sick and wearing masks in settings such as hospitals or crowded places.
Dr. Kluge noted that “health is slipping from the political agenda”,
He voiced deep concern over the failure to address the “ticking time-bomb facing our health and care workforce”.
“As health systems come under strain, we are reminded that we may be unprepared for anything out-of-the-ordinary, such as the emergence of a new, more severe COVID-19 variant or a yet unknown pathogen,” he warned.
He urged leaders to show “demonstrable support” for health workers.
