COVID cases in eastern Europe near 20 M
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Coronavirus cases in eastern Europe will soon surpass 20 million, according to a Reuters tally yesterday, as the region grapples with its worst outbreak since the pandemic started and inoculation efforts lag.
Countries in the region have the lowest vaccination rates in Europe, with less than half of the population having received a single dose.
Hungary tops the region’s vaccination rates with 62 percent of its population having gotten at least one shot, whereas Ukraine has given just 19 percent of its residents a single dose, according to Our World in Data.
New infections in the region have steadily risen and now average over 83,700 new cases per day, the highest level since November last year, Reuters data through Friday showed. Although it has just four percent of the world’s population, eastern Europe accounts for roughly 20 percent of all new cases reported globally.
According to a Reuters analysis, three of the top five countries reporting the most deaths in the world are in eastern Europe – Russia, Ukraine and Romania.
More social gathering indoors, after the lifting of restrictions just as winter sets in, is driving a rise in COVID-19 infections in many countries across Europe, the World Health Organization’s emergency director Mike Ryan said on Thursday.
As the wave of infections intensifies, many people in eastern Europe are torn between defiance and regret over not getting vaccinated.
Hundreds have protested in Sofia and other cities against mandatory certificates that came into force on Thursday, limiting access to many indoor public spaces to those who have been vaccinated.
A European Commission poll, the Eurobarometer, has shown that at least one person in three in most countries in the European Union’s east does not trust the healthcare system, compared to a bloc average of 18 percent.
More than 40 percent of all new cases reported in eastern Europe were in Russia, with 120 people testing positive every five minutes, according to a Reuters analysis. The country’s healthcare system is operating under great strain, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Wednesday. The nation on Friday reported record COVID fatalities for the fourth straight day.
Moscow, the country’s most populous city and capital, will next week shut down all businesses except essential stores such as supermarkets and pharmacies to stem the spread of the disease.
In Romania, hospitals are stretched to breaking point, with emergency beds fully occupied across the country. Morgues were also running at full capacity.
The country reported record numbers of daily coronavirus fatalities and infections on Tuesday. The virus was killing one person every five minutes on average this month in a country where the inoculation rate is low.