7 hours agoCoronavius in Europe, experts warn: Last chance to prevent crash
Periskopi(6 years ago)
(6 years ago)European health officials urged member states to take steps Thursday in Brussels to control the spread of the coronavirus to their countries to prevent the return of isolation measures, which they considered devastating to the economy. They said that as the cold weather approaches, it is necessary to avoid [...]
As the cold weather approaches, they said, it is necessary to avoid a flu epidemic at the same time as coronavirus. Warnings come as most of Europe is seeing an increase in cases with COVID-19 and a new round of restrictive measures aimed at halting or at at at at at slowing the spread of infection.
Speaking at a press conference, EU Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides said this is a crucial moment for the organisation and may be as she added, the last chance to prevent a repeat of the impasses that were imposed in the spring and that paralysed the region's economy. Lady Kyriakides said some member states are seeing situations that are even more serious than during the peak of the pandemic in March.
It's a real reason to worry. To be clear, this means that the measures taken have simply not been quite effective or have not been implemented or followed as they should be”, she said. Lady Kyriakides acknowledged that officials are facing what she called “fatigue from COVID-19”, which is associated with an apparent disregard for the physical distance and rules, even associated with some protests, such as the anti- mask demonstrations two weeks ago in Rome.
Speaking during the same press conference, European Centre for Disease Prevention Director (ECDC) Andrea Amon stressed the need for essential measures, such as physical distance, wearing masks, and washing hands. She also said governments should have sufficient testing capacities, to carry out rigorous contact tracking, good quarantine opportunities, and better communication on risks.
Lady Kyriakides also said that as the weather gets colder in Europe, the need for flu vaccines increases. Health officials say seasonal flu viruses cause between four and 50 million infections annually throughout the region, and about 15 to 70 thousand Europeans die each year for flu-related causes.
Adults who pose high risk of being affected by the flu are also the most endangered by coronavirus. According to a study published by scientists of Public Health in England (PHE), the risk of dying is said to be twice as high in people who result in both flu and coronavirus, compared with those who have only coronavirus. VOA
