FRANKFURT (AFP) – Daily COVID-19 infections in Germany reached an all-time high on Thursday, as the World Health Organization warned that as many as 500,000 people could die once again across Europe.
The strict launch came as the United Kingdom became the first country to approve an anti-COVID pill and the United States announced tough new rules for businesses to strengthen staff to get vaccines, As countries scramble to survive another deadly winter wave.
Germany, the European Union’s most populous country, has set a new record for daily infections with nearly 34,000 news cases in the past 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
Croatia also set a new daily record, with 6,310 people testing positive, following in the footsteps of Russia, which has repeatedly broken its own record in recent weeks.
The WHO’s Europe chief expressed “grave concern” over the rising pace of coronavirus infections in Europe, warning that the current trajectory would mean “another half a million COVID-19 deaths” by February, according to “a credible projection”.
“We are once again at the epicenter of the earthquake,” Hans Kluge said at a news conference.
A pedestrian walks past a COVID testing center in Berlin on November 4, 2021. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP)
The WHO blamed a combination of inadequate vaccination rates and easing of preventive measures such as wearing masks and physical distancing.
Kluge said hospital admission rates were higher in countries where fewer people are vaccinated.
The number of new daily cases in Europe has been rising steadily for weeks, with nearly 250,000 cases, according to official national figures compiled by AFP. Deaths are also rising, with about 3,600 registered daily across the continent.
According to AFP data, over the past seven days, Russia – a country with a strong vaccine hesitation – has led the rise with more than 8,100 deaths, followed by Ukraine with more than 3,800 deaths and Romania with 3,100 deaths.
The virus has killed more than 5 million people globally since it first emerged in China in December 2019.
‘game changer’
Better news came in Britain, which became the first country in the world to approve the use of Merck’s anti-COVID pill mollupiravir to treat patients with mild to moderate coronavirus.
UK Health Minister Sajid Javid called the antiviral drug “a game-changer for the most vulnerable and immunosuppressed”.
“Today is a historic day for our country, as the UK is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for COVID-19,” he said.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday it would seek to expedite its review of authorizing the drug for the European Union.
The drug has raised hopes of being able to offer easy, home remedies for vulnerable COVID carriers, including those with diabetes or those who are overweight.
Governments are eager to avoid overcrowded hospital wards and the mortality rate seen in earlier stages of the pandemic, with the hope that the worst rests on vaccines to avoid a recurrence.
In the US, the world’s worst-affected country with more than 750,000 deaths so far, millions of workers face a January 4 deadline to get vaccinated.
A closed COVID testing center is photographed in Berlin on November 4, 2021. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP)
Under new rules announced by US President Joe Biden’s administration, employees of large companies as well as healthcare workers and federal contractors must either be fully vaccinated by then or submitted for weekly testing.
The move is the most aggressive that Washington has yet taken against the virus and its highly contagious Delta variant, which has stalled the country’s economic recovery.
“The bottom line is that vaccination requirements work,” a senior White House official said.
The source said the new rules would “lead” [to] Millions of Americans are getting vaccinated, protecting workers, saving lives, bolstering our economy, and helping accelerate our recovery from this pandemic.”
