July 12,
2021
10:49 AM
CEST
Last
Updated 5 hours ago
Healthcare
& Pharmaceuticals
Lack of COVID awareness at Euro final
'devastating' - WHO
Emma Farge
GENEVA,
July 12 (Reuters) - A WHO epidemiologist said she had been devastated to watch
unmasked crowds singing and shouting at the Euro 2020 soccer final in London on
Sunday, expressing concerns that it would spur COVID-19 transmission, including
of the Delta variant.
Britain is
facing a new wave of COVID-19 driven by the more transmissible variant despite
having one of the world's highest vaccination rates. It plans to scrap most
remaining anti-coronavirus restrictions on July 19, in a move that worries some
scientists. read more
In
unusually forthright comments from the U.N. health agency, which usually
refrains from remarking on the policies of individual member states, its
COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove called the sight of the more than
60,000 spectators at the match between Italy and England
"devastating".
"Am I
supposed to be enjoying watching transmission happening in front of my
eyes?" she tweeted in the late stages of the match.
"The
#COVID19 pandemic is not taking a break tonight ... #SARSCoV2 #DeltaVariant
will take advantage of unvaccinated people, in crowded settings, unmasked,
screaming/shouting/singing. Devastating."
A day of
alcohol-fuelled festivities had begun with rowdy scenes in central London and
tens of thousands made their way to the national stadium for the game, with
flares being let off in railway stations and singing on trains. read more
British
Prime Minister Boris Johnson this month defended the decision to allow more
than 60,000 people to attend the final, saying it was being hosted in a
"careful and controlled manner with testing of everybody who goes
there". He says vaccines have created a "considerable wall of
immunity". read more
Globally,
the rate of COVID-19 infection is rising. There were over 2.6 million new cases
last week, with Europe experiencing a sharp increase of 30 %, the WHO said in
its latest epidemiological update.
More than 4 million people have died since the start
of the pandemic.
The WHO's
emergencies head Michael Ryan also urged countries last week to use extreme
caution when lifting COVID-19 restrictions, so as "not to lose the gains
you've made". read more
Reporting
by Emma Farge; Editing by Kevin Liffey
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