WHO recommends that people at risk continue to be vaccinated against coronavirus. Amid the “summer wave” of coronavirus, WHO Europe confirms: vaccines reduce COVID-19 mortality Health
From December 2020 to March 2023, COVID-19 vaccines reduced pandemic-related mortality by at least 59 percent and saved more than 1.6 million lives in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region.
These are the findings of a new WHO study published in The Lancet. There have been 2.2 million deaths from coronavirus in the European Region, but without vaccines, the number could have reached four million. Most of the lives saved by vaccinations were people aged 60 and over, the group at highest risk of severe disease and death from SARS-CoV-2.
Countries that implemented early vaccination programmes, such as Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Malta and the United Kingdom, were able to provide their citizens with the most effective protection against the coronavirus.
What is the summer wave?
The study results are still relevant today, a year after the WHO declared that COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency areas of public health of international importance.
Over the past few weeks, several countries in the European Region have reported a surge in cases – a ‘summer wave’ of COVID-19. The proportion of patients with respiratory diseases testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in primary care has increased fivefold over the past eight weeks. The percentage of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 has also increased.
Although the absolute number of cases is lower than during the winter wave, which peaked in December 2023, COVID-19 cases in the Region are still leading to hospitalisations and deaths this summer.
The updated COVID-19 vaccine remains extremely effective in reducing both hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk individuals, including the elderly or immunocompromised, those with multiple underlying medical conditions, pregnant women, and healthcare workers. It also reduces the chances of developing so-called “long COVID.”
The increase in reported cases this summer can be attributed to holiday travel, mass gatherings such as major sporting events and music festivals, and less “competition” from underlying respiratory illnesses such as influenza.
Unlike seasonal influenza, COVID-19 circulates year-round. Until this picture changes, the region could well see several waves of infection each year, putting a serious strain on health systems.
How to protect yourself?
Wearing a mask in crowded spaces can help reduce your risk of infection. A disposable respirator mask, such as an N95, provides the best protection. It is especially important to wear a mask when interacting with someone who is sick with COVID-19.
Regular hand washing is also still an effective infection control measure against SARS-CoV-2, as well as many other viruses and bacteria.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, fatigue, or shortness of breath, you should get tested. And patients at high risk of severe consequences from coronavirus are eligible to receive antiviral drugs.
The Future of COVID-19
Although the pandemic phase has ended, SARS-CoV-2 continues to infect people and lead to hospitalizations and deaths in the European Region.
WHO experts say it is difficult to predict how the virus will behave in the rest of 2024, but multiple waves of the disease are possible.
WHO urges people at risk to remain vigilant and follow COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, and countries to continue immunization campaigns, targeting the most vulnerable groups population.
Existing vaccines are effective in preventing severe illness and death among people infected with new variants of coronavirus, experts emphasize.
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