Very cautiously World Health Organization says Europe might be seeing the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 emergency. Well that’s at least the spin Quartz.Com puts on the WHO media release of January 24, 2022 per the link below. The general idea is Omicron and vaccines could mark a new phase for the subcontinent as life-threatening infections subside.
We Are Entering a New Phase with Omicron and Vaccines
‘Omicron is displacing Delta with unprecedented speed,’ explains Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO regional director. ‘The pandemic is far from over, but I am hopeful we can end the emergency phase in 2022.’ He goes on by reaffirming rising hospitalizations on the back of record infections. However, symptoms are milder with most ICU admissions unvaccinated people.
Europe might be entering a new phase in the pandemic Quartz.Com explains, as the more manageable Omicron variant spreads. Especially among a largely vaccinated population with significantly lower probability of serious symptoms. However, this is not the end of the consequences as Dr. Hans Kluge outlines.
There Is More Work to Be Done to Repair the Damage
We already know the developing world has a largely unvaccinated population overall. Moreover, there are no compelling signs this could change in the short run. ‘Too many people who need the vaccine remain unvaccinated,’ Dr. Hans Kluge laments.
‘This is helping to drive transmission, prolonging the pandemic, and increasing the likelihood of new variants.’ Vaccines and Omicron may offer renewed hope. However, the pandemic pushed other world health programs to the back burner, which now need urgent attention.
Backlogs and waiting lists have grown, essential health services have been disrupted, and plans and preparations for climate-related health stresses and shocks have been put on hold, according to the WHO regional director. But will a pandemic-shocked world have energy to spare for these pressing priorities?
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