WHO/EuropeVerified account

First and foremost, wishing you a happy and healthy new year for 2021. We were prepared for a challenging start to 2021 and it has been just that. @hans_kluge

One year on from @WHO’s first news report about this virus, we have new tools at our disposal and considerably more knowledge, but we remain in the grip of #COVID19, as cases surge across Europe and we tackle new challenges brought by the mutating virus. @hans_kluge

This moment represents a tipping-point in the course of the pandemic - where science, politics, technology and values must form a united front, in order to push back this persistent and elusive virus. @hans_kluge

The WHO European Region saw over 26 million confirmed COVID-19 cases & over 580,000 confirmed #COVID19 deaths in 2020. In the 27 countries that participate in EuroMOMO’s all-cause excess mortality monitoring, close to 313,000 excess deaths were reported in 2020 @hans_kluge

This marks a 3-fold increase on excess deaths recorded in 2018, and close to a 5-fold increase on excess deaths in 2019. @hans_kluge

As we enter 2021 over 230 million people in the European region are living in countries under full national lockdown with more countries set to announce lockdown measures in the coming week. Transmission across the Region has sustained at very high rates of infection. @hans_kluge

As of 6 January, among all countries and territories in Europe, almost half have a 7-day incidence of over 150 new cases per 100,000 population, and one quarter are seeing a greater than 10% increase in case incidence over the past 2-week period. @hans_kluge

Over one quarter of all European member states and territories are seeing very high incidence and strained health systems @hans_kluge

Where there are signs of stabilization or even decreased incidence in some countries, this needs to be taken with some caution. @hans_kluge

The impact of the holiday period, of gatherings of families, communities, and any relaxation of physical distancing and mask wearing behaviour for example, cannot yet be determined. @hans_kluge

Testing and notification activities may have also been lower during the festive season, resulting in an incomplete picture of the current epidemiological situation. @hans_kluge

Assessing developments over the current days before gradual lifting of any measures in place is the prudent approach required. @hans_kluge

2021 brings with it new opportunities and tools, such as the vaccine, but also new challenges posed by the virus itself. @hans_kluge

Like all viruses, as it has circulated, the #COVID19 virus has changed over time. I do understand the concern around the possible impact of the SARS CoV-2 Variant of Concern (VOC). 22 countries in the WHO European region have detected this new variant. @hans_kluge

This variant is ‘of concern’ as it has increased transmissibility. So far, we understand there is no significant change to the disease this variant produces, meaning the #COVID19 is not more, nor less, severe. @hans_kluge

It spreads across all age groups, and children do not appear to be at higher-risk. It is our assessment that this variant of concern may, over time, replace other circulating lineages as seen in the United Kingdom, and increasingly in Denmark. @hans_kluge

With increased transmissibility and similar disease severity, the variant does, however, raise alarm: without increased control to slow its spread, there will be an increased impact on already stressed and pressurized health facilities. @hans_kluge

I want to urge countries to mitigate this burden by doing all they can to reduce transmission and increase vigilance to identify any new variants by: investigating unusually rapid transmission and unexpected disease presentation or severity

increasing the sequencing of systematically selected subset of SARS-CoV-2 infections – and using this data to inform early public health measures

sharing this data, so that we can better understand the true extent in circulation of this and other variants. Solidarity in science is crucial at this time. @hans_kluge

This is an alarming situation, which means that for a short period of time need to do more than we have done and to intensify the public health and social measures to be certain we can flatten the steep vertical line in some countries which may not have seen to date. @hans_kluge

It’s the basic measures, with which we are all familiar, that need to be intensified to bring down transmission, lift the strain on our #COVID19 wards, and save lives. @hans_kluge

Adhering to generalised mask wearing, limiting social gathering numbers, physical distancing & hand washing, coupled with adequate testing & tracing systems, proper support for quarantine & isolation, & increasingly vaccination, will work if we all get involved. @hans_kluge

The deployment of #COVID19 vaccine in few countries in the WHO European Region has set the ground of using “vaccine” as one of the tools to contain the ongoing pandemic. There have been reports of varied but promising roll-out of #COVID19 vaccine in the region. @hans_kluge

However, whilst I can reassure you that @WHO and partners are making huge efforts to get the vaccines into every country, it needs every country capable of contributing, donating and supporting equitable access and deployment of the vaccines, to do so. @hans_kluge

Collectively, we simply cannot afford to leave any country, any community behind. @hans_kluge

Given the limited supply of vaccines and the increasing burden on our health systems, prioritisation of vaccination of our health workforce and the most at-risk in our communities is vital. @hans_kluge

Their courage and sacrifice over the last few months cannot be forgotten, it is time to protect and support the frontline workers with the new tools we have. @hans_kluge

At this point in time, and after so many months in cycles of hope and despair, herd immunity is an understandable desired end-point. Yet it cannot be our immediate, primary concern. @hans_kluge

I want to emphasize that vaccine roll-outs are essential, first and foremost, to reduce severe disease in vulnerable groups, release the pressure on our hospitals and avoid the risk of our health systems collapsing. @hans_kluge