3,000 deaths a week as WHO warns cases escalating in Europe

With 3,000 deaths a week, the WHO has warned escalating COVID-19 cases across Europe suggest that the continent and the UK are in for a challenging autumn.

Speaking on Tuesday, July 19, the WHO’s Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge  said that it is: “Abundantly clear that we’re in a similar situation to last summer.”

Expressing concern that as cases rise so monitoring of the virus lessens, he said that increased social mixing over the summer will see cases rise but that this time it is the Omicron variant, notably BA.2 and BA.5 that are doing the rounds.

He added that Omicron shows clear transmission advantages over previously circulating viruses. 

The concern is that as people return from holidays and the cold weather sets in, cases could rise sharply. Current forecasts suggest that this presents a huge challenge to the health workforce in each country, already under enormous pressure from dealing with unrelenting crises since 2020.  

Cases in Europe have tripled over the last six weeks with more than three million new cases last week, that’s more than half the world’s cases. Hospitalisation rates have doubled during the same period but ICU admissions have remained fairly stable, although 3,000 people continue to die from the virus each week.

The WHO has released guidance for governments in the hope that action is taken prior to the arrival of the colder weather to ensure that health services and the general population are ready for the coming waves of infection.

The strategy calls on countries to relaunch mitigation efforts and be ready to respond to an increased burden on their healthcare systems who are currently dealing with 3,000 deaths a week, by following five pandemic stabilisers:    

• increasing vaccine uptake in the general population;  
• administering a second booster dose to immunocompromised people aged five and above as well as their close contacts. Consider offering a second booster to specific at-risk groups, at least three months after their last dose;
• promoting mask-wearing indoors and on public transportation;
• ventilating crowded and public spaces e.g. schools, offices and public transport);
• applying rigorous therapeutic protocols for those at risk of severe disease.  

They are also recommending that Governments:

• strengthen laboratory capacities to ensure reliable rapid diagnostic SARS-CoV-2 detection and tracking of variants, complemented by continued population use of rapid diagnostic testing;
• integrate population-based surveillance systems for influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses to monitor the spread and intensity of respiratory viruses;   
• prioritise contact tracing and quarantining based on WHO recommendations for individuals, high-risk settings and situations of concern;
• promote informed individual choices around protection measures, including respiratory hygiene, mask-wearing, ventilation, handwashing and vaccination; and 
• strengthen infection control practices in all healthcare and care settings, as well as in the community.  

Dr Kluge recently contracted the virus, which he said would have been far worse but for his vaccination. He said: “My advice to everyone who gets infected is to take it easy. Just because your symptoms have ceased does not necessarily mean you have fully recovered. And when you do return to your normal routine, do it gradually, if at all possible.”

He added that we know with 3,000 deaths a week, how to protect ourselves. So we should take appropriate action to do so.

He finished by reiterating: “My message to governments and health authorities is to act now to prepare for the coming months. Right now, the southern hemisphere, where it is winter, is experiencing a very active influenza season, which, along with COVID-19, is putting a continued strain on health systems. We are likely to see a similar scenario in the northern hemisphere come autumn and leading into winter. 

“If health authorities act now, they can help reduce the anticipated disruptions to society, including health worker absences and overburdened health systems, struggling businesses and travel chaos.   

“Our health systems and society at large must continue to adapt our collective response to this virus – and any future variants of concern. We must continue to do all we can to protect those most at risk. This means we must continue to monitor and track the evolution of SARS-CoV-2, which remains a highly unpredictable virus. Yet most countries in the European Region have stopped or greatly reduced COVID-19 surveillance, creating a dangerous blind spot in our knowledge of how the virus is evolving.  

“I, therefore, urge all countries to continue to strengthen COVID-19 surveillance as part of wider, resilient, population-based surveillance for respiratory viruses and to get ready for the autumn. Knowledge has been and remains a vital tool against the virus. Let’s not throw that away.”

With 3,000 deaths a week and escalating COVID-19 cases in Europe it suggests that we are in for a challenging autumn, particularly in light of recent research that suggests the vaccines may not last as long as was originally thought.

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