WHO says fourth Covid wave in Europe could see death toll reach 2 million by March

The World Health Organisation has warned Europe’s fourth Covid wave could see the death toll rise to a staggering number by March.

Europe remains “in the firm grip” of Covid and the death toll on the continent could top 2.2 million this winter if current trends continue, the World Health Organisation said this morning.

Some 700,000 could die in the coming months, the WHO said, as cases creep up across Europe, prompting some countries to reimpose tough restrictions.

The WHO expects “high or extreme stress in intensive care units (ICUs) in 49 out of 53 countries between now and March 1, 2022”.

“Cumulative reported deaths are projected to reach over 2.2 million by spring next year,” it added, up from the current 1.5 million.

A medical staff member pushes a trolley bed carrying the body of a deceased Covid-19 coronavirus patient in the intensive care unit of Lozenets Hospital in Sofia.

Covid-19 is the leading cause of death across Europe and Central Asia, the WHO reported, citing figures from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

The rise in Europe was being driven by a combination of the highly-contagious Delta variant, insufficient vaccination coverage and the easing of measures such as mask wearing and physical distancing, it said.

According to WHO data, Covid-related deaths increased last week to nearly 4200 a day, doubling from 2100 deaths a day at the end of September.

The WHO also said evidence was growing that vaccine-induced protection against infection and mild disease was declining.

WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge.

Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, said it was essential that countries adopted a “vaccine plus” approach.

“This means getting the standard doses of vaccine and taking a booster if offered,” he said. “but also incorporating preventive measures into our normal routines.”

In combination with the vaccines, Dr Kluge said, wearing a mask, washing your hands, ventilating indoor spaces, keeping physical distance, and sneezing into your elbow were “simple, effective ways of gaining control over the virus”.

The WHO said face masks reduce Covid incidence by 53 per cent according to a recent study.

Europe is being called on to adopt a “vaccine-plus” approach.

“All of us have the opportunity and responsibility to help avert unnecessary tragedy and loss of life and limit further disruption to society and businesses over this winter season,” by avoiding “the last resort of lockdowns and school closures”.

“The Covid-19 situation across Europe and Central Asia is very serious. We face a challenging winter ahead,” he said.

The WHO said more than 1 billion vaccine doses had been administered in the WHO European region and 53.5 per cent of people had completed their inoculation program, but added that the figure “hides wide differences between countries”, with some populations less than 10 per cent vaccinated and others more than 80 per cent.

A nurse wearing a protective mask while taking care of patient in the ICU of St Anna Hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The situation facing the eastern European country is now so dire that CNN reports bodies have started to “pile up”, with morgues and hospitals overflowing with patients and casualties.

And the crisis has been made worse by Romania’s shockingly low vaccination rate as scepticism and misinformation abounds.

Romania has a population of around 19 million, but according to Reuters, just 37 per cent are fully vaccinated, despite jabs being available for almost one year now.

That grim number means Romania has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Europe, thanks to especially high levels of vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and superstition, as well as strong religious beliefs and distrust of the government.

Many high-profile Romanians, including religious leaders, have publicly condemned the vaccination campaign – with several labelling it the work of the “Devil” – and anti-vax lies and distortions have also run rampant on social media.