WHO: Europe is the epicenter of pandemic despite vaccines
Geneva(AP): Top officials at the World Health Organization said Thursday that Europe has seen a more than 50% jump in coronavirus cases in the last month, making it the epicenter of the pandemic despite an ample supply of vaccines.
There may be plenty of vaccine available, but uptake of vaccine has not been equal, WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said during a press briefing on Thursday.
He called for European authorities to close the gap in vaccinations. However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries that have immunized more than 40 per cent of their populations should stop and instead donate their doses to developing countries that have yet to offer their citizens a first dose.
No more boosters should be administered except to immuno-compromised people, Tedros said.
More than 60 countries have started giving booster doses to combat waning immunity before winter, when another COVID-19 wave is expected. In the United States, children ages 5 to 11 started getting COVID-19 shots this week after authorities decided the benefits outweighed the risks.
Earlier on Thursday, the director of WHO's 53-country Europe region, Dr. Hans Kluge, said the rising COVID-19 case counts are of grave concern.
Europe is back at the epicenter of the pandemic, where we were one year ago, Kluge said. He warned that coronavirus hospitalization rates more than doubled in the last week and predicted that on that trajectory, the region could see another 500,000 pandemic deaths by February, he said.
WHO Europe says the region, which stretches as far east as the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, tallied nearly 1.8 million new weekly cases, an increase of about 6% from the previous week, and 24,000 COVID-19 weekly deaths a 12% gain.
Kluge said the countries in the region were at varying stages of vaccination rollout and that regionwide an average of 47% of people were fully vaccinated. Only eight countries had 70% of their populations fully vaccinated.
The increase in Europe's COVID-19 marks the fifth consecutive week cases have risen across the continent, making it the only world region where COVID-19 is still increasing. The infection rate was by far the highest in Europe, which reported some 192 new cases per 100,000 people.
Sweden's chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, said Thursday that we are clearly in another wave, and added that the increased spread is entirely concentrated in Europe. Several countries in Central and Eastern Europe have seen daily case numbers shoot up in recent weeks.
At an online briefing Thursday by the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency, experts urged people to get vaccinated.
The epidemiological situation in Europe is very concerning now as we head into the winter with increases in infection rates, hospitalization and we can also see the increase in fatalities, said Fergus Sweeney, the EMA's head of clinical studies and manufacturing task force.
He stressed that it's very important that everybody gets vaccinated or completes their dose of vaccination if they've already had a first dose but not a second dose. It's really important that we're all vaccinated because we are not all protected until everyone is protected in that respect.
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Cong indulging in anti-national activities, wants illegal immigrants to settle in Assam: PM
Namrup (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of engaging in "anti-national" activities and helping illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to settle in Assam.
The PM, addressing a public rally after unveiling a Rs 10,601-crore fertiliser plant at Namrup in Assam's Dibrugarh district, accused the grand old party of opposing the revision of voter list due to its only aim of grabbing power.
"The Congress is indulging in anti-national activities. They want illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to settle in Assam's forests and land. They only want to strengthen their vote bank, and don't care about the people," he claimed.
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Modi said the opposition party is not concerned about the identity, existence and pride of Assamese people, which the BJP has been trying to protect.
"The Congress is opposing the revision of voter lists as it wants to grab power... They oppose whatever good I try to do... The BJP government will always work to protect the identity, land, pride and existence of Assamese people," Modi asserted.
"Assam must be safeguarded from the poison of Congress' appeasement and vote-bank politics. I assure you all that BJP will stand like a shield to protect Assam's identity and honour," he told thousands of people ahead of the assembly polls.
The Assembly polls to 126 constituencies are likely to take place in March-April next.
Underscoring that BJP governments at the Centre and state are for the poor, tribals, youth and women, Modi said it is working to end decades of violence in Assam and the Northeast.
"Our government has always kept Assam's identity and culture paramount, highlighting symbols of Assamese pride on every platform," he added.
Addressing the rally on the second and final day of his Assam tour, the PM alleged that the Congress has inflicted "so much wrongs" to this country that despite "correcting" those for the last 11 years, a lot of work still remained to bring everything on track.
"When our government awarded Dr Bhupen Hazarika the Bharat Ratna, the Congress openly opposed the decision. Its national president remarked that 'Modi nachne gane walon ko Bharat Ratna de raha hai' (Modi is giving Bharat Ratna to dancers-singers), which is an insult to both Bhupen Da and the people of Assam," Modi asserted.
He said the BJP government's aim is to make Assam as powerful as it was during the Ahom dynasty centuries ago.
"Industrialisation and connectivity are fulfilling Assam's dreams. The double-engine government of the BJP is empowering youth to see new dreams," he added.
Continuing its tirade against the Congress, Modi said even when a semiconductor unit was set up in the state, the opposition party went against it.
"It was the opposition government that for decades denied land rights to the tea community brothers and sisters, whereas the BJP government has given them land rights and a dignified life," he added.
Expressing satisfaction at the presence of a huge number of women at the rally, Modi said: "When my mothers and sisters come in such large numbers, it gives me a special feeling. Many sisters have come with tea gardens' flavour and tea's flavour creates a special feeling inside me."
He also informed the crowd that when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India recently, Assam's black tea was gifted to the VIP.
"We facilitated the opening of Jan Dhan accounts for 7.5 lakh tea garden workers in Assam. Funds can now be transferred directly to their accounts, ensuring greater transparency and efficiency. The BJP government is also working to improve basic amenities in tea garden regions," the PM said.
Stating that India cannot develop without Northeast's progress, he said everyone is lauding Assam's development momentum nowadays.
"The benefits of development have reached the poor in far-flung areas of the country. Due to our relentless efforts, 25 crore people have been taken out of poverty and a neo-middle class has been created in India," Modi asserted.
The PM pointed out that fresh data has come which symbolises the changes taking place in the country.
"Earlier, among the poorest families in villages, only one in 10 had a bike. Now, nearly half the families in villages own a bike or a car. Mobile phones have reached almost every household and items like refrigerators, once considered a luxury, have now become common and found a place even in village kitchens," he said.
Modi said that the role of eastern and Northeastern India is continuously increasing, and the entire region will become the growth engine of the nation’s development.
"Namrup plant is a significant contribution of the Northeast to the country's fertiliser needs. Projects like this demonstrate that in the coming time, the region will emerge as a major centre of self-reliant India and will remain as Ashtalakshmi in true sense," Modi said.
