“The pandemic is not over, but for the first time we are in a unique situation to control it“. These are the latest statements made by the directors of the World Health Organization (WHO), which begin to provide some hope after two years of health crisis.
In the opinion of the health entity, the high rate of vaccinated and infected population, the lesser severity of the omicron variant and seasonality provide Europe with the possibility of control the pandemic and drive a change in strategy.
Hans Kluge, the director of WHO-Europe, has highlighted in a press conference that the context in which we currently find ourselves, “which we had not lived until now, leaves us with the possibility of a long period of tranquility and a higher level of defense of the population against any resurgence of transmission, even against a more virulent variant”. Thus, he has referred to a “ceasefire that can bring us a lasting peace”.
He did want to recall that last week 12 million new cases of coronavirus were registered in the WHO European region -which includes 53 countries, several from Central Asia-, the highest number since the start of this health crisis, and that the hospital admissions continue to increase, although at a slower rate and not in intensive care, while deaths begin to stagnate. 30% of all Covid-19 cases reported in the European region since the start of the pandemic have been registered so far this year.
The director of WHO-Europe has pointed out how “key” to maintain protection for vulnerable groups, increase vaccination, including the third dose; invest in virus control measures and be ready to react in the event of a new wave of contagion.
Darias believes that the conditions are in place to ease the restrictions
The Minister of Health has valued the decline in all epidemiological indicators that our country is experiencing, taking into account both the incidence and the care pressure.
A descent, he said, what has to do “with the very high coverage of vaccination, the complete schedule and the third dose”. Taking into account age groups over 12 years of age, 38,305,091 Spaniards have received the necessary dose, which represents 90.8% of the target population.
With this situation -the drop in indicators and the percentage of vaccinated- Carolina Darias believes that the “conditions are met” to ease the restrictions against COVID-19. Precisely, at a press conference this Wednesday, he opened the door to abolish the obligation to wear masks outdoors In the next weeks.
Source: Lasexta
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
