Story at a glance
- WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge Thursday said all COVID-19 virus variants that have emerged so far appear to respond to the available vaccines.
- He said the number of COVID-19 cases in Europe has fallen by 60 percent over the past month, but he emphasized the progress remains “fragile.”
- Nearly 50 percent of Americans have received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
The current COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the U.S. and Europe appear able to protect against all variants that are circulating, according to World Health Organization (WHO) officials.
During a news briefing Thursday, WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge said the new variant of concern first identified in India has been confirmed in at least 26 of the 53 countries covered by WHO Europe.
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“We are still learning about the new variant, but it is able to spread rapidly and displace the B.1.1.7 lineage that has become the dominant lineage in Europe,” Kluge said.
But the WHO official said authorized vaccines were effective against the new strains.
“Allow me to emphasize that all COVID-19 virus variants can be controlled in the same way. With public health and social measures, and that all COVID-19 virus variants that have emerged so far, do respond to the available, approved vaccines,” he noted.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Europe has fallen by 60 percent over the past month, but Kluge said the progress was “fragile,” as only 23 percent of people in the region have had a single dose of vaccine while just 11 percent have completed their vaccine series.
He said several countries are experiencing pockets of increasing transmission capable of evolving into dangerous resurgences.
“We are heading in the right direction but need to keep a watchful eye on the virus that has claimed the lives of nearly 1.2 million people in this region” he said.
The claim that the authorized vaccines appear to be effective against variants of concern is welcomed news as the U.S. has made significant progress in vaccinating Americans.
Nearly 50 percent of Americans have received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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