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The World Health Organization (WHO) has sent, for the first time in months, an optimistic message today about the end of the pandemic. The director for the WHO in Europe, Hans Kluge, said that the continent is set for "a long period of tranquillity" that may even lead to the end of the health emergency.
The high rates of vaccination, the lower virulence of omicron compared to previous variants, and the arrival of spring may open up the possibility that the pandemic will be soon overcome.
Kluge said that the region was in a position of “higher protection” that could “bring us enduring peace”, even if a new, more virulent variant than Omicron should emerge.
The 53-country region had recorded 12 million new coronavirus cases last week, the highest single weekly total of the pandemic, with about 22% of all tests returning a positive result.
However, hospital admissions, although growing, were not rising at the same rate and the number of patients in intensive care was not increasing significantly, he said. The number of deaths across the region was also starting to plateau.
The optimistic forecast comes days after Kluge said it was “plausible” the region was “moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame”. But he stressed that authorities must use the respite constructively, by continuing vaccine and booster campaigns, protecting the most vulnerable, promoting individual responsibility and intensifying surveillance to detect new variants.
“I believe it is possible to respond to new variants that will inevitably emerge without reinstalling the kind of disruptive measures we needed before,” he said. But added it must now be a top priority to ensure all countries are equally well protected.
The WHO announcement coincides with a relaxation of restrictions in Europe. Only Spain and Italy continue to have mandatory use of masks outdoors, the most symbolic measure of the pandemic, while countries like Denmark or Norway have already lifted all restrictions.
