By Laura Kemp • Published: 04 Jun 2020 • 16:08
Currently, in Europe, there are more than two million people who are either infected or have been infected and, sadly, over 181,000 people have died as a result of this.
Although the number of weekly cases in Europe has almost halved since April, Kluge warns that the risk of infection is still “very high.”
On this note, the WHO leader recalled that some countries, such as Russia or Ukraine, are experiencing a constant stabilisation, or even a decrease, in infections. However, other countries have experienced a slight increase as they adjust to some of the public health measures which have been approved to contain the progression of the virus.
For this reason, Kluge insists that the transition towards a ‘new normality’ should be extremely grounded in the principles of public health, as well as other social and economic aspects.
“The transition must be done in a gradual and careful way” especially because “a second wave is not unavoidable… there is a clear threat that infections could once again rise,” he advises.
Given that there is still no vaccine, Europe is in no better position than it was at the beginning of the crisis, although it has become much more manageable.
Until there is a safe treatment or vaccine to cure populations from the coronavirus, “real-time monitoring of the epidemic is crucial to be able to react quickly” he notes, as the coronavirus will be present for “a long time.”
Finally, Kluge asserts that once the vaccine is available, the WHO will do “everything possible” to ensure this is distributed fairly and equitably” but until then he urges “all countries to take full account of their individual epidemiological situations, continually monitor this and gradually adjust the measures.”
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Originally from UK, Laura is based in Axarquia and is a writer for the Euro Weekly News covering news and features. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.