UPDATED: WHO expects 236,000 more Covid deaths in Europe by 1 December

An increase in COVID-19 transmission rates across Europe over the last two weeks combined with low levels of vaccination in some countries are “deeply worrying”, the head of WHO in Europe, Hans Kluge, told a news briefing on Monday.

“Last week, there was an 11% increase in the number of deaths in the region – one reliable projection is expecting 236,000 deaths in Europe, by December 1,” WHO Europe director Kluge told reporters.

Europe has registered around 1.3 million Covid deaths to date.

Of the WHO Europe’s 53 member states, 33 (62%) have registered an incidence rate greater than 10 percent in the past two weeks, Kluge said.

Kluge attributed the higher transmission to the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant, an “exaggerated easing” of restrictions and measures, and a surge in summer travel.

While around half of people in Europe are fully vaccinated, vaccination uptake in the region has slowed, Kluge noted.

“In the past six weeks, it has fallen by 14 percent, influenced by a lack of access to vaccines in some countries and a lack of vaccine acceptance in others…The stagnation in vaccine uptake in our region is of serious concern,” Kluge said.

Kluge added that a third-dose booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccination is a way to keep the most vulnerable safe and “not a luxury”.

The WHO said earlier this month data did not indicate a need for booster shots, while topping up already fully vaccinated people would further increase vaccine inequity between rich and lower-income countries.

“A third dose of vaccine is not a luxury booster (that is) taken away from someone who is still waiting for a first jab. It’s basically a way to keep the most vulnerable safe,” Kluge told a press briefing.

Photo: People relax and enjoy a sunny day at the beach in Tropea, southern Italy. EPA-EFE/ANGELO CARCONI