Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

To end pandemic, 70% need to be vaccinated

WHO warns that the Covid-19 origins probe is being poisoned by politics

- Agencies letters@hindustant­imes.com

COPENHAGEN: The WHO’s European director warned on Friday that the Covid-19 pandemic won’t be over until at least 70% of people are vaccinated.

The World Health Organizati­on’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge also said that one of his main worries was the increased contagious­ness of new variants of the virus. “We know for example that the B.1617 (variant found in India) is more transmissi­ble than the B.117 (British variant), which already was more transmissi­ble than the previous strain,” Kluge said.

Meanwhile, WHO emergencie­s chief Michael Ryan told reporters that efforts to uncover the Covid-19 pandemic’s origins were being hampered by politics, insisting scientists needed space to work on solving the mystery. “We would ask that we separate the science from the politics,” he said.

 ?? BLOOMBERG ?? People wait in line to enter a vaccinatio­n centre in Barcelona, Spain.
BLOOMBERG People wait in line to enter a vaccinatio­n centre in Barcelona, Spain.

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