Faced with the risk of a surge in contaminations linked to the more contagious British variant, the WHO warns of the urgency of coordinating joint action in Europe and "the importance of not relaxing the barrier gestures.
"These are the basic measures, which we all know, that must be stepped up to bring down transmission, alleviate our Covid-19 services and save lives," WHO European Director Hans Kluge said during 'a press point.
According to the organization's estimates, the new strain "could gradually replace the others circulating across the region, as seen in the UK and increasingly in Denmark."
Twenty-two countries in the Europe zone, which includes 53 including Russia, have now recorded cases linked to this new strain, said the WHO.
The so-called British variant ("VOC 202012/01") does not change the nature of the disease: "Covid-19 is neither more nor less serious" and "children do not seem to be more exposed", however reassured Mr. Kluge.
Early indications also suggest that Covid-19 vaccines are effective against the variant.
But because of its increased transmissibility, the variant risks worsening the number of cases and contributing to saturating health systems, according to the WHO.
This is an alarming situation, which means that for a short time we are going to have to do more than we have done, and intensify public health measures and social measures to be sure to flatten the very sharply rising curves. in some countries, ”Kluge said.
Very affected by the pandemic, Europe has recorded more than 27.6 million cases and 603,000 deaths, according to the monitoring table of the Organization.