Europe’s Surging COVID-19 Cases Provide Lessons for Rest of World
Dr Tedros

Europe is now the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic and what it is experiencing now provides lessons for the rest of the world, according to World Health Organization (WHO) officials addressing a media briefing on Thursday.

In addition, the lack of a systematic, multilateral approach to address this pandemic has only underscored the need for a global agreement on how to address future pandemics, asserted WHO Secretary-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 

Cases in Europe have increased by over 55% increase over the last four weeks despite an ample supply of vaccines and tools. Germany reported 33,949 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, its highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic last year.

“We only have to look at the roller-coaster epidemiologic curve [over the past two years] to know that when you’re coming down the mountain you usually about to go back up another one,” said Dr Mike Ryan, WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies.

“The fact that Europe is climbing that mountain again should really make everyone in the rest of the world stand up. It’s a warning shot for the world to see what’s happening in Europe despite the availability of vaccines.”

Governments put the onus back on individuals

Ryan said that Europe’s cases had been fuelled by increased summer social mixing, more indoor activities as the weather cooled, a reduction in restrictions and – crucially – “the onus has been put back on individuals to continue into individual risk management with little support from the governments”.

“In European countries that have high vaccination levels in vulnerable groups, transmission has been transferred into younger age groups so you have intense transmission without a necessarily huge increase in hospitalisations and deaths,” said Ryan. 

But countries with relatively low vaccine uptake are “facing a very difficult situation” particularly if vaccine uptake has not been high in vulnerable groups, he added.

“Is there a possibility where we can reach a state where we have gained control over transmission in 2022? Absolutely. Is there the possibility that we can remove the death, the severe hospitalizations and death in 2022? Absolutely. We could have done that already. But we haven’t,” added Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO lead on COVID-19.

Future lies in a binding pandemic treaty

“We have no shortage of reports, reviews and recommendations, but we have a shortage of action,” added Tedros. 

“It’s clear what needs to happen: better governance for global health security, including a binding treaty on pandemic preparedness and response,” he said.

“Better financing to strengthen the capacities of all countries, especially the most vulnerable; better systems and tools to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond rapidly to outbreaks with epidemic or pandemic potential and strengthened, empowered and sustainably finance WHO at the centre of the global health architecture.”

Ryan added: “The way we’re dealing with our transnational health issues at the moment is we’re trying to deal with a global threat using individualised solutions.

“We need agreement at a global level on what is to be done to protect the health of the world’s population.”

 

Elhadj As Sy

Elhadji As Sy, the co-chair of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), also made a strong appeal for an agreement on future pandemics.

The board, an initiative of the WHO and the World Bank, has made five recommendations for global leaders to address COVID-19 as well as future pandemics.

“First, agree at the November 2021 special session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) on the need to adopt an international agreement on pandemic preparedness and response and establish a process for taking forward negotiations,” said As Sy. 

A special session of the WHA is being convened on 31 November – 1 December to consider an international agreement to address future pandemics.

Additional proposals from the GPMB were for a global summit of heads of state and other stakeholders on pandemic preparedness and response; substantially increase the funds to WHO, and “establish a new financial intermediary fund for pandemic preparedness and response”.

As Sy also expressed disappointment at last weekend’s meeting of G20 leaders.

“Honestly, we had hoped for firm financial commitments to fully fund global efforts to curb the pandemic,” he said.

“We had hoped for an agreement to establish a financing mechanism that would provide predictable financing at the scale required to prevent further future pandemics. But what we got was a commitment to keep talking about it.” 

 

 

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