Be the First to Know

lanka matrimony

Europe is at centre of new wave of COVID-19 infections – WHO

0 89

SWITZERLAND: Europe is at the centre of a resurgence in COVID-19 infections as more people mix at large-scale events and travel, according to the World Health Organisation.

“We are seeing a much more intense wave of the disease passing through Europe again,” Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said at a media briefing on Wednesday (July 6). “And we will see it happen elsewhere – we are already seeing it in South-east Asia and in the eastern Mediterranean region as well.”

Overall, the number of Covid-19 infections rose 30 per cent globally in the past two weeks, with the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 driving the increase in Europe and the US. The agency said it was also following a new sublineage of subvariant BA2.75 which had been detected in India.

The increase in cases in Europe during the summer – when transmission should be more difficult because people are outside – results from people swapping one kind of mixing for another, such as attending large concerts and travelling more, Dr Ryan said.

The new wave of infections isn’t yet leading to a surge in intensive-care admissions or a serious increase in the number of deaths, as a result of vaccine protection.

Last week Britain reported a 32 per cent rise in infections and said that hospital admissions are climbing, with intensive-care cases spreading among older age groups.

Separately, Dr. Tedros said the organisation remained concerned about the spread of monkeypox – with more than 6,000 cases in 58 countries – and will reconvene the agency’s emergency committee within the next three weeks to determine if the outbreak should be considered a public health emergency of international concern.- THE STRAITS TIMES

Friday, July 8, 2022 – 01:00











Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.