WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus strongly advised to continue wearing masks and other barrier practices to avoid transmission
The highly contagious delta variant has reduced the effectiveness of vaccines against disease transmission by 40%, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, November 24, and urged people to continue wearing masks and other barrier practices. “Vaccines save lives, but they do not completely prevent the transmission of the Covid-19 virus,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained during a regular press conference dedicated to the pandemic, which is wreaking havoc in Europe.
“In many countries and societies, we fear that there is this misconception that vaccines have ended the epidemic”
“There is data to suggest that prior to the arrival of the delta variant, vaccines reduced transmission by about 60%, with delta as low as 40%,” he said. “In many countries and communities, we fear that there is a misconception that vaccines have ended the epidemic, and that people who have been vaccinated no longer need to take other precautions,” he added.
The fifth wave in Europe
The WHO Director-General opened his traditional opening remarks about the situation in Europe, hard-hit by a fifth wave of infections, caused by a combination of inadequate vaccination rates and inaction – perhaps premature given the dominance of the delta variable in the region – into barrier gestures and restrictions.
“Last week, more than 60% of Covid-19 infections and deaths worldwide occurred in Europe”
“In the past week, more than 60% of Covid-19 infections and deaths worldwide have occurred in Europe,” Dr. Tedros recalls, adding that “this huge number of cases is reflected in an intolerable burden on health systems and overworked health workers.” .
With more than 2.5 million cases and nearly 30,000 deaths recorded in the past week, the old continent is by far the region hardest hit by the pandemic. And the trend is still on the rise. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization in Europe was concerned about the “grip” of Covid-19 in Europe, which could cause an additional 700,000 deaths on the continent by spring, on top of the 1.5 million deaths already counted.