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April 29, 2021 The World Health Organization has warned European governments that loosening anti-covid restrictions too soon could cause a spiral of new cases, potentially sparking a new wave like in India.
Hans Kluge, the head of the WHO European region, said that loose measures in the presence of more contagious variants, coupled with still low vaccination coverage, can lead to "a perfect storm in any country. The situation in India can happen anywhere. ".
In Europe, Kluge noted, new infections fell "significantly" last week for the first time in two months, but infection rates "remain extremely high". As for vaccinations, 16% of the population received the first dose and 7% also the booster. and where vaccination rates in high-risk groups are higher, hospital admissions and death rates are decreasing, Kluge noted.
At the same time, he cautioned, "the best path to return to normal" will only come with "a combination of vaccines and strong public health measures". The spread in Europe of the new mutation of the virus from India is worrying. WHO announced Tuesday that the Indian variant of the virus has been identified in 17 countries, including several in Europe, and warned of a relaxation of ongoing restrictions in several European countries.
German health authorities said today that they have identified several cases of contagion with the Indian variant of the coronavirus in the country, a variant considered partly responsible for a second devastating epidemic wave in India. "We have isolated cases in Germany, we will publish a new report tomorrow," a German health officer told a press conference on variant B.1.617 detected for the first time in India.
India recorded 3,645 new deaths from Covid-19 on Thursday, 350 more than the day before, a new record for this country overwhelmed by an unprecedented wave of infections. This exponential surge, attributed in part to the new variant, as well as to the gathering of crowds at political and religious events, has swept hospitals now short of beds, medicine and oxygen.