Several EU member states are maintaining or re-implementing Covid restrictions because the Delta variant has contributed to an alarming surge in cases.
However, so far, the number of hospitalizations has not followed the same curve. Officials suggest that as the vaccination campaign progresses, hospitalization data should become a bigger factor in assessing and responding to the pandemic.
The hardest hit area is Netherlands, Which is based on Our world data The number of daily cases has increased nearly seven-fold, from the 7-day average of 49.2 cases per million people on July 4 to 328.7 cases on Sunday, prompting the authorities to cancel some relaxation measures.
Since Saturday, Dutch cafes and bars have been required to close at midnight, while nightclubs and discos must be completely closed. “Be rational,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. ‘Keep the party small and easy to manage; follow the basic rules. “
The government has suspended the “access test” program for clubs and other nightlife venues—though not for seat-only theaters and stadiums—until at least August 14. It said people under 25 accounted for the majority of new infections.
Health Minister Hugo de Jonge (Hugo de Jonge) said that the holidays may be affected by the surge, but he hopes that other EU countries will consider hospital data rather than infections when deciding whether to impose quarantine or testing requirements on Dutch travelers. .
“Two weeks ago, all signals were green,” De Jonge said. “Now there is reason to intervene. This is unprecedented.” However, the number of hospitalizations is still very low, at 2.7 per million people, lower than the peak of more than 100 in early April.
Other countries that have experienced rapid growth include popular holiday destinations such as Spain, Portugal And Greece.Case in Greece with Spain This has more than doubled in the past week, from 69 and 157 per million in 7 days to 176 and 316, respectively. The Catalonia region of Spain, including Barcelona, has re-restricted nightlife to control the increase in mainly unvaccinated young people.
Nearly half Portugal After the daily number of new cases reached the highest level since February, the population re-imposed a curfew. Several regions in Portugal now also require vaccination certificates or negative tests in order to book hotels or dine in indoor restaurants.
Government spokesman Mariana Vieira da Silva said: “We continue to observe the worsening of the pandemic,” adding that 60 Portuguese cities are now at “high risk” of transmission, compared to 45 in the previous week. .
New infection France In the same 7-day period, which has soared by 65%, from an average of 34 people per million to 56 people, Emmanuel Macron will speak to the country on the new measures on Monday night-possibly including Mandatory vaccination of health workers.
Macron can decide to go further and require the use of the country’s digital certificates to prove vaccination, negative testing or immunization more extensively, such as in movie theaters, theaters and even restaurants.
As in many Europe The first dose of vaccination rates in the United States and France have begun to slow down because they have begun to clash with more groups who are hesitant or difficult to reach for vaccines, which may threaten the goal of herd immunity. So far, 53% of the total population has received a dose of the vaccine, and 39% have been fully vaccinated.
New infection Germany The growth rate is relatively slow, from an average of 6.8 per million to 9 per million, an increase of 32%, and the number of new hospital admissions per week remains at a low level of 1.7 per million. German media reported that with the development of the new wave, the authorities hope to focus on hospital admissions rather than infections.
After two months of steady decline, the number of cases increased last week. Health Minister Jens Spahn (Jens Spahn) said that the removal of the remaining restrictions will depend on the vaccination rate, and social gatherings of more than 10 people will still be barred from those who are not fully vaccinated.
He said that although 90% of people over the age of 60 will be vaccinated soon, it requires “vigorous publicity” to achieve an 85% vaccination rate among young people. Approximately 57% of German adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and nearly 39% of adults have been fully vaccinated.
Bild reported on Monday that the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the national disease control agency, is promoting the number of hospitalizations as “another major factor” when assessing the pandemic.
The newspaper quoted an RKI document saying that the agency believes that due to widespread vaccination, “the proportion of severe cases has fallen”, “the assessment still needs some indicators, but their weights should change.”
Experts say that by the beginning of next month, the Delta variant may account for 70% of all cases in Europe, and it will rise to 90% by the beginning of September.
