Daily US Times: The rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in Europe is “unacceptably slow,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday, delivering a damning evaluation on the region’s coronavirus pandemic response, amid a “worrying” surge in infections.
Many European countries have struggled to carry out effective vaccine rollout as drug companies have repeatedly under-delivered on scheduled shipments.
WHO said in a statement that Europe has vaccinated only 10% of its population with one shot in a two-dose regimen,
In a statement, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge said: “Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic. Not only do they work, they are also highly effective in preventing infection. However, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow,”
In his statement, he urged to apply the same social and public health measures to compensate for delayed schedules.
Regional emergency director for WHO Europe, Dorit Nitzan, warned that it was only five weeks ago that new cases in Europe had dipped to under 1 million, but now with more gatherings and mobility over religious holidays and the presence of the B.1.1.7 variant — first identified in the United Kingdom — pose a greater public risk. Last week there were 1.6m new Covid-19 infections in the region and almost 24,000 deaths.
WHO described the situation as ‘worrying’.
As the vaccination rollout grows across Europe, the World Health Organization is calling for early action to implement public health and social measures.
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