COVID-19 Cases In Several Countries Continue To Break Records, Europe Pushes For Expansion Of Booster Dose Vaccines

Illustration of COVID-19 vaccination in Germany. (Wikimedia Commons/Partynia)

JAKARTA - Coronavirus infections broke records in parts of Europe on Wednesday, with the continent again at the center of the pandemic prompting new restrictions on movement, with health experts pushing to expand the use of booster vaccination shots.

Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Hungary all reported new highs in daily infections as winter hit Europe, with people gathering indoors ahead of Christmas, providing the perfect breeding ground for COVID-19.

The disease has swept the world in the two years since it was first identified in central China, infecting more than 258 million people and killing 5.4 million.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Union's public health agency, recommends booster doses of vaccines for all adults, with priority for those over 40, in a major change from previous guidance that suggested additional doses should be considered. for older people, weak people, and those with weakened immune systems.

"Available evidence emerges from Israel and the UK showing a significant increase in protection against infection and severe illness, after booster doses across all age groups in the short term," the ECDC said on Wednesday, citing Reuters November 25.

Many EU countries have started giving booster doses, but use different criteria to prioritize them, with different intervals between the first and booster injections.

ECDC chief Andrea Ammon said the boosters would increase protection against infection caused by reduced immunity and "potentially reduce transmission within the population and prevent additional hospitalizations and deaths".

He advised countries with low vaccination rates to speed up vaccine rollouts, warning of the high risk of a further spike in deaths and hospitalizations in Europe in December and January, if the recommended measures were not introduced.

Separately, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, admitting Europe is again the epicenter of the pandemic, warning against a "false sense of security" over the protection offered by vaccines.

"No country is out of trouble," he told reporters, adding he hoped a consensus could be found at a World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting next week for IP waivers for pandemic vaccines.

Sweden will start rolling out boosters in stages for all adults, government and health officials said. Booster injections of the mRNA vaccine have been offered to people 65 years of age or older, with the aim of extending the injections to other groups.

"We are facing an uncertain winter. You can contribute by staying at home if you are sick or by getting vaccinated if you haven't already, and taking a booster when you are offered," Health Minister Lena Hallengren told a news conference.

Meanwhile, Slovakia reported its highest daily rise in cases on Wednesday when the government approved a two-week lockdown to curb the world's fastest spike in infections.

Restaurants and non-essential shops will be closed and movement will be restricted to travel for essential shopping, work, school, or medical visits.

"The situation is serious. We got here because (the existing) actions were not heeded," said Prime Minister Eduard Heger.

Austria has locked down this week for at least 10 days, becoming the first to reimpose the restrictions. It will also require the entire population to be vaccinated from February 1, angering many in a country where skepticism about state restrictions on individual freedoms is mounting.

The highest daily rise in infections was also reported in the Czech Republic, with cases exceeding 25,000 for the first time. The government is looking to institute mandatory vaccines for people over 60 and some professions, such as healthcare workers.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Wednesday that the cabinet would debate more action on Friday.

The Netherlands recorded more than 23,700 coronavirus infections in 24 hours, the highest number since the start of the pandemic, and the government is set to announce new measures on Friday.

Hungary reported a record 12,637 new daily COVID-19 cases. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, which opposes further lockdowns for fear of crippling the economy, launched a vaccination campaign this week, offering injections without prior registration.

Separately, authorities in Russia, where daily coronavirus-related deaths are near a record high, said they were scouring social networks and media sites to find people spreading false claims about the dangers of vaccination.

France will announce new COVID measures on Thursday, while Italy tightens restrictions on people who have not been vaccinated, preventing them from going to cinemas, restaurants, and sporting events in new restrictions that take effect December 6.

Portugal, one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, will give an additional injection to a quarter of its population by the end of January. Cases there hit a four-month daily high on Wednesday.

Despite this, the death toll remains well below January levels, however, and the infection rate is much lower than in much of Western Europe.