COPENHAGEN (AP) — Nearly 36 million people in Europe could have long-term consequences after contracting the coronavirus during the first three years of the pandemic, the regional director of the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
Dr. Hans Kluge said that “long-standing covid” remains “a complex condition about which we still know very little” and a “stunning gap in our knowledge”.
“Unless we develop long-term Covid diagnostics and treatments, we will never fully recover from the pandemic,” Kluge said, reiterating that older adults, people with underlying medical conditions and people with weakened immune systems should be vaccinated.
While most covid sufferers recover within a few weeks, some complain of fatigue, shortness of breath and mental confusion much later.
The WHO European Region covers 53 countries, from Ireland to Uzbekistan, with a total population of more than 900 million people. Statistics from experts at the University of Washington indicate that about one in 30 residents of the region have experienced “long-lasting COVID” in the past three years, Kluge said.
Until now, the origin of the virus that killed millions of people, caused mass lockdowns and destabilized many economies has not been determined with certainty.
Last month, the WHO said that covid-19 is no longer a global emergency. The announcement came more than three years after the organization declared an international crisis over the virus. The agency stressed that this does not mean the pandemic is over, noting that cases continue to rise in parts of the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
In Europe, “Covid-19 exploded an epidemic of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic pulmonary atrophy, which account for 75% of mortality,” Kluge said.
“Those with such underlying conditions were and continue to be much more vulnerable to severe forms of covid-19,” he added.
