German Covid record as WHO warns of Europe deaths

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German Covid record as WHO warns of Europe deaths

8:41 CAT | 04 Nov 2021

Vaccination rates have plateaued in Germany as cases rise

Almost 34,000 cases are reported in Germany as the WHO warns of half a million more deaths in Europe.

Germany has recorded almost 34,000 daily Covid cases in the past 24 hours, its highest number so far, in what the health minister is calling a “massive pandemic of the unvaccinated”.

Sixteen million Germans have not had a jab. However hospital intensive care cases are still lower than in spring.

The World Health Organization has warned of a possible half a million more deaths in Europe by February.

Europe head Hans Kluge blamed insufficient vaccine take-up.

He said a relaxation of public health measures was also behind the rise in Covid cases in the WHO’s European region, which covers 53 countries including parts of Central Asia. So far the WHO has recorded 1.4m deaths across the region.

The WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, said over the past four weeks cases across Europe had soared over 55%, despite an “ample supply of vaccines and tools”, and colleague Mike Ryan said Europe’s experience was a “warning shot for the world”.

While the Covid numbers in Germany are below the UK’s latest daily case numbers of more than 37,000, public health officials are worried that a fourth wave of infection could lead to a large number of deaths and pressure on the health system. In the past 24 hours 165 deaths have been recorded, up from 126 a week ago.

Lothar Wieler of Germany’s RKI institute spoke of terrifying numbers. “If we don’t take counter-measures now, this fourth wave will bring yet more suffering,” he said. Among the many Germans who have not been vaccinated are more than three million over-60s, seen at particular risk.

German restaurants and cafes require people to have proof of vaccination or recovery before entry, or in many cases a negative test, but the rules are not always applied.

Health Minister Jens Spahn said he had been asked more times for his vaccination certificate in one day in Rome at the weekend than he had been over four weeks in Germany.

But as Hans Kluge points out, the surge in cases is not confined to Germany.

The most dramatic rises in fatalities have been in the past week in Russia, where more than 8,100 deaths were recorded, and Ukraine, with 3,800 deaths. Both countries have very low rates of vaccination and Ukraine announced a record 27,377 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Source: BBC