The European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Andrea Ammon, and Hans Henri P. Klug, Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO Europe), issued a joint call on Wednesday 12 October to respond to the increase in transmission of Covid-19.
The three officials, in a joint statement, acknowledge that the situation is not the same as it was a year ago, but warn of a new wave of SARS-CoV-2.
The potential simultaneous circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal influenza would put vulnerable people at risk and could increase pressure on health systems and caregivers, already strained by months of pandemic.
Ms Kyriakides, Ms Ammon and Mr Klug urge Europeans to make use of the tools available to prevent further transmission of Covid-19 and other diseases such as seasonal flu.
The three officials stress that vaccination is the main tool in this fight. They strongly advise Europeans to increase vaccination rates and to organise combined vaccination against Covid-19 and influenza for those eligible: the most vulnerable people and priority groups.
These recommendations are in line with the Communication published by the European Commission on 2 September to strengthen preparedness against these communicable respiratory diseases this autumn and winter (see EUROPE 13013/13).
Link to the press release: https://aeur.eu/f/3kp (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)