In recent weeks, cases of COVID-19 have been on the decline in the United States. However, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—including Director Dr. Rochelle—have been warning that this trend will likely turn around due to the increasing prevalence of the newer, more transmissible variants. Now, the World Health Organization has revealed that this very phenomenon is occurring across a major continent.
Cases Across Europe are Surging Dangerously
According to WHO Europe’s regional director Hans Kluge, cases are surging across Europe. “Last week, new cases of COVID-19 in Europe rose nine percent to just above one million,” he announced at a news conference Thursday. “This brought a promising six-week decline in new cases to an end, with more than half of our region seeing increasing numbers of new infections.”
He is concerned about two regions in particular. “We are seeing a resurgence in central and Eastern Europe,” he revealed. “New cases are also on the rise in several western European countries where rates were already high.”
The WHO/Europe also tweeted about the resurgence, noting that the rise of the variants is likely responsible for the uptick in numbers. “B.1.1.7, initially identified in the UK has been reported in 43 of 53 countries in the region, B.1.351, identified in South-Africa; in 26, and P1, identified in Brazil/Japan, in 15. We need to suppress the spread of the virus everywhere, using what we know works,” they tweeted, which will involve getting “back to the basics,” they added.
“The high rates of transmission, and rapid spread of variants of concern across the region requires,” a number of components, which they identified as “Increased vigilance for variants that pose a threat of increased transmissibility or severity, [i]mproved testing and isolation of cases, tracing and quarantining contacts, as well as care, stronger focus on prevention and control of other diseases, more effort to re-engage communities and counter pandemic fatigue , coherent, gradual and evidence-driven reopening of societies, within and between countries, when timely, and, an accelerated roll-out of vaccines.”
How to Stay Healthy During This Pandemic
So follow Fauci’s fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—wear a face mask that fits snugly and is double layered, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, get vaccinated when it becomes available to you, and to protect your life and the lives of other.