The EU Health Agency ECDC estimates the coronavirus situation as a major threat to public health. Today’s risk update stated that CoV infections have increased significantly in EU countries in recent weeks. The increase in the number of reported cases was no longer only due to increased testing. The front-runner in the current ECDC evaluation is the Czech Republic with 1,149 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Compared to these 1,149 cases, Austria is still in the middle of the European field with a new infection rate of 234 per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days. Austria’s neighboring countries Slovakia (360) and Slovenia (487) are also far ahead. The situation is extreme in Belgium, which is the second country with a rate of 1,020, already in the four-digit range. Germany is still at a low level with 107.
“Expect things to get even worse”
“What we are now seeing is clearly a second wave of infection, and we expect it to get worse,” Agoritsa Baka, ECDC’s crisis preparedness expert, told Swedish radio today. It is worrying that more elderly people are now being infected again. “Many countries have reported rising mortality rates, and the total number of deaths has been rising for over a month,” the report said.
Although the death rate is lower than at the beginning of the pandemic, it is expected to increase. “In fact, protecting medically vulnerable people with high levels of community transmission is becoming more difficult, and it is inevitable that more people who are not considered medically vulnerable will develop serious diseases.
Only six countries with a stable situation
Currently, there are only six countries in the Region with a stable epidemiological situation, according to ECDC Estonia, Cyprus, Greece, Finland, Norway and Liechtenstein. In all other 25 countries the situation is worrying. Baka advises member states: “Continue to focus on tracing infections, supporting testing, preparing healthcare systems for increased pressure and protecting the population at risk.
Source: ORF.at/agencies. Picture: stockilyapp.com
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