The number of COVID-19 cases has passed the milestone of 60 million in the WHO European region since the pandemic began, said the health body's regional office on Monday, along with a warning that "travel is not risk-free."
-The end of the pandemic is still over the horizon, and sadly, so far in the European region there have been more than 1.2 million COVID-19 deaths- said Dr. Dorit Nitzan, WHO regional emergency director for Europe.
-It is important that countries continue their combined efforts to protect their most vulnerable people and those at risk- she said.
Globally, on Monday, the WHO said there had been over 198.02 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including some 4.22 million reported deaths while nearly 3.84 billion vaccine doses have been administered.
-For the pandemic to end, we must rapidly scale up vaccinations equitably in all countries, including supporting vaccine production, as appropriate, and sharing of doses, as relevant, to protect the vulnerable population in every country- said Nitzan.
Vaccinations vary widely between countries in the 53 countries in the WHO European region, extending from Greenland in the northwest to the Russian Far East.
-The vaccination coverage amongst the priority population groups such as the over-60s, healthcare workers, people living in long-term care facilities, and those with underlying conditions is still low in a few countries- said the WHO official.