Europe is entering a “plausible endgame” to the Covid-19 pandemic, said a top official of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In a statement at a media briefing on Thursday, WHO’s Europe director Hans Kluge said the continent was entering “a plausible endgame for the pandemic – not to say that it is now all over – but to highlight that in the European region, there is a singular opportunity to take control of the transmission.”
Dr Kluge said that upcoming spring “leaves us with the possibility for a long period of tranquility and a much higher level of population defense against any resurgence in transmission.”
This would be possible only through “a drastic and uncompromising increase in vaccine-sharing across borders,” he said.
The remarks come even as the health agency said the BA.2 sub-variant has been found in five African countries, a development which scientists said is “concerning” as the variant proves difficult to identify.
Regulators in the UK have approved Nuvaxovid — the Covid vaccine developed by US-based vaccine maker Novavax — for use in adults.
With the approval, Nuvaxovid becomes the fifth Covid vaccine authorised in the UK, the regulator said.
