Europe may
see 236,000 more people die of COVID-19 by December 1, the World Health
Organization (WHO) said expressing concern over the stagnating vaccination
rates in parts of Europe and low uptake among poorer countries. WHO’s Europe
director Hans Kluge told the media, “Last week, there was an 11% increase in
the number of deaths in the region — one reliable projection is expecting 236,000
deaths in Europe by December 1”.

Nearly 1.3
million people have died of COVID-19 in Europe till date. Of the 53 member
states under WHO, 33 have registered an incidence rate of greater than 10% in
the last two weeks, said the Europe director of the health agency.

Also Read | What is Vaccinated Travel Lane, and why has Singapore introduced it

According
to Hans Kluge, higher disease transmission in Europe right now is linked to the
more transmissible Delta variant, a surge in summer travel and an “exaggerated easing”
of restrictions and measures.

Nearly half
of the European population is fully vaccinated, however vaccination rates in
the region have slowed down of late. “In the past few weeks, it has fallen by
14%, influenced by a lack of access to vaccines in some countries and a lack of
vaccine acceptance in others,” Kluge said.

Also Read | Australia’s Melbourne extends 6th lockdown amid Delta variant outbreak

Further,
only 6% of people in the lower and lower-middle income countries in Europe are
fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and some countries have managed to vaccinate
only 10% of health professionals, according to the WHO official.

“The
stagnation in vaccine uptake in our region is of serious concern,” Kluge said,
calling upon countries to increase production of vaccines, share doses and
improve access.

While
issues of vaccine availability and access are indeed impediments in containing
the pandemic, another significant problem emerging is Europe, as in the US, is
around disinformation surrounding vaccines. The Court of Auditors, European
Union’s financial watchdog, had warned a couple of months ago that Europe was
struggling to fight disinformation.