Infections on the rise

“Miserable” Covid vaccination rates: WHO sounds the alarm

Vaccination rates for older people and health workers have declined alarmingly and have reached a miserable level, says Maria Van Kerkhove (pictured).(Bild: AFP/Fabrice Coffrini)

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for vaccination campaigns for at-risk groups in view of increasing coronavirus infections. Vaccination rates for older people and healthcare workers have fallen alarmingly and have reached a miserable level, said WHO expert Maria Van Kerkhove.

"We urgently need a turnaround here," explained Van Kerkhove on Tuesday in Geneva. Among all corona tests, the proportion of positive results has been rising for several weeks and is over ten percent, the expert continued.

In Europe, the rate is over 20 percent, as the WHO reported based on data from 84 countries. Wastewater analyses show that the virus is much more widespread than the infection statistics would suggest, according to Van Kerkhove. She also pointed out that more than 40 athletes had tested positive at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Situation not comparable with pandemic phase
However, the epidemiologist emphasized that the current situation is not comparable to the pandemic phase, as many more people are now protected against severe courses of the disease by vaccinations and infections they have experienced.

Only data from very few countries
Van Kerkhove also pointed out that the WHO only obtains data on the number of coronavirus treatments in hospitals and intensive care units from very few countries. "We are blind to the burden of disease," she said.