60 to 80 percent of the EU population already had Corona

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“An estimated 60 to 80 percent of the EU population has now been infected with Covid,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said Wednesday.

Registered Corona cases in about 30 percent of the EU population

According to the EU health agency, the reported instances affect about 30 percent of the European population.

Further mutation of coronavirus possible

If unreported infections are added, the number could be as high as 350 million people, or about 77 percent. Because the number of Covid-19-related illnesses and deaths has recently declined, the EU is now moving away from mass testing and reporting cases, Kyriakides said. However, he said, a resurgence of cases is likely, as another mutation of the virus is likely.

EU Commission warns countries of new Corona waves in fall

Therefore, the commission urged countries in the international community to prepare to switch back to emergency mode and step up vaccination campaigns. In a document outlining the strategy for the post-pandemic emergency phase, Brussels cautions that vaccination of the unvaccinated, especially children, should continue before the start of the new school year.

The vaccination rate among children at less than 15 percent

According to the document, vaccination rates among children between the ages of five and nine – the youngest age group for which Covid vaccines are licensed – are below 15 percent in Europe. By contrast, among adolescents aged 15 to 17, the rate is more than 70 percent. The EU also wants to support the development of new covid-19 medicines, particularly antivirals that are easier to store and administer. Already approved are the Corona pills from Pfizer and Merck & Co. But they have been slow to catch on because of high prices and complicated national procedures for prescribing them.