The highly infectious Delta variant has reduced the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing transmission of the coronavirus to 40%, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday, urging people to continue wearing masks and other barrier practices.
"Vaccines save lives, but they do not totally prevent the transmission of Covid-19," the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said during a press briefing on the pandemic, which is wreaking havoc in Europe.
"There is evidence to suggest that before the arrival of the Delta variant, vaccines reduced transmission by about 60%, with the Delta variant this has dropped to 40%," he said.
"In many countries and communities, we are concerned that there is this misconception that vaccines have ended the pandemic, and that people who are vaccinated do not need to take any further precautions," Ghebreyesus added.
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He began his traditional opening remarks on the situation in Europe, which has been hit hard by a new wave of infections, caused by a combination of insufficient vaccination rates and - probably premature given the dominance of the Delta variant in the region - relaxations of the barrier measures and restrictions.
"Last week, more than 60% of the world's Covid infections and deaths occurred in Europe," Ghebreyesus said, adding that "this huge number of cases translates into an unbearable burden for exhausted health systems and health workers."
With more than 2.5 million cases and nearly 30,000 deaths recorded in the past week, Europe is by far the region of the world most affected by the pandemic, according to official data collected by AFP. And the trend remains upward.
On Tuesday, WHO Europe warned that the "grip" of Covid-19 in Europe could lead to an additional 700,000 deaths on the continent by spring, on top of the 1.5 million deaths already recorded.
