The World health Organization Regional Office for Europe said today that countries must work harder to respond to the worrying situation created by the recently discovered 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) variant virus.
Speaking at a press conference, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said the current situation is “a turning point in the pandemic” as Europe faces a dual challenge of a surge in cases and a variant strain of the virus.
Kluge said, “It’s a worrying situation, meaning we have to work harder in the short term to strengthen public health and social measures to ensure that the surge in certain countries can slow down.” He was referring primarily to the variant of the virus first identified in the United Kingdom.
The WHO Regional Office for Europe noted that while it is natural for the virus to mutate over time and the variant is not believed to cause more severe symptoms, it is still a cause for concern because it is “more contagious.
Krueger said, “If controls are not tightened to slow the spread of (the variant virus), it will have a greater impact on already strained health facilities.”
As for Krueger’s recommendations are “familiar measures,” including the already promoted wearing of masks, limiting social gatherings, maintaining social distance and hand washing, but they still need to be stepped up.
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