Europe Logs Record Weekly Increase In Covid Cases Last Week: WHO

In terms of Covid fatalities, Europe represented a 10 per cent weekly jump last week, while other regions showed decreasing trends.

Europe is seeing a continues surge in Covid-19 cases not only in nations with lower vaccination rates, but also in countries with the highest inoculation rates. The continent registered almost two million new Covid-19 cases last week, the largest weekly caseload in Europe since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In the first week of November, the WHO European Region reported 1,949,419 new cases, a 7 per cent week-on-week increase, as per the WHO's weekly report.

In terms of Covid fatalities, Europe represented a 10 per cent weekly jump last week, while other regions showed decreasing trends. At a press briefing in Geneva on Friday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that Europe recorded 26,726 new Covid-related deaths, accounting for more than half of all the Covid fatalities in the world last week, Xinhua news agency reported.

Of the 61 European countries, 26 nations saw a 10 per cent or more increase in the number of new cases in the past week, with the highest numbers coming from Russia, the UK and Turkey. In the wake of rising Covid-19 infections, some European countries have reintroduced restrictions to curb transmission.

Reasons for Covid-19 Surge in Europe

Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, suggested that surge in Covid cases in Europe could be due to drop in temperature and people letting their guard down with the perception that the pandemic was nearing the end.

Ryan noted that increasing Covid cases in Europe despite the availability of vaccines is "a warning shot for the world."

The WHO recommends countries to continue use of tailored and proportionate testing, masks, physical distancing, measures to prevent crowding, improved ventilation, and eligible people to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Tedros has also urged every country to constantly assess its situation and adjust its approach accordingly.