A new wave of COVID-19 infections may have begun in Europe as cases continue to rise, according to the World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). “Even though we are not where we were one year ago, we still have a long way to go to contain the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Hans Kluge, WHO’s Europe director, and Andrea Ammon, ECDC’s director, in a joint statement.
“We are unfortunately seeing indicators rise again in Europe, indicating that another wave of infections has begun.” According to WHO data, only Europe recorded an increase in COVID-19 cases in the week ended 2 October, up 8%. There are millions of people in Europe who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the WHO and ECDC. Experts warn that vaccine fatigue and confusion over available vaccines will likely limit booster uptake in the region.