Covid cases up 9% in Europe in significant shift

GENEVA — Covid-19 cases rose 9% last week over a 53-country region of Europe, snapping a six-week run of declines, the World Health Organization said Thursday as its European chief insisted that countries need to get “back to the basics.”

Dr. Hans Kluge says more than 1 million cases were tallied over the past week in the region. He said the resurgence was particularly noticeable in central and eastern Europe, but some Western European countries saw increases as well.

More than half of the region noted increasing numbers of new infections, he said.

Alluding to the “solidarity” shown by some European countries that have taken in patients from hard-hit neighbors, Kluge said “over a year into the pandemic, our health systems should not be in this situation.”

“We need to get back to the basics,” he told reporters from WHO Europe headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Klug called for measures like increased vigilance to fend off variants, improved testing and isolation of cases, more efforts to counter public “pandemic fatigue” and an accelerated rollout of vaccines.

Other covid news around the world

In Amsterdam: The European Medicines Agency said it has started a rolling review of Sputnik V, many months after the vaccine was first approved for use in Russia and after dozens of countries around the world have authorized it.

In a statement Thursday, the European regulator said the review is based on results from lab studies and research in adults, which suggests the vaccine may help protect against coronavirus.

Despite skepticism about Russia’s hasty introduction of the vaccine, which was rolled out before it had completed late-stage trials, the vaccine appears to be safe and effective. According to a study published in the journal Lancet, Sputnik V was about 91% effective in preventing people from becoming severely ill with covid-19.

The EMA has not set a date for when its expert group might meet to assess Sputnik V data to decide if it should be approved across the European Union,

In London: Regulators in the U.K. and four other countries have announced new rules to fast-track the development of modified covid-19 vaccines to ensure drugmakers can move swiftly to target emerging variants of the disease.

Previously authorized vaccines that are modified to combat new variants “will not need a brand new approval or ‘lengthy’ clinical studies,” Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said Thursday.

“The clear goal is that future vaccine modifications that respond to the new variants of coronavirus can be made available in the shortest possible time to U.K. recipients without compromising at any stage on safety, quality or effectiveness,” Dr. June Raine, the head of the agency, said in a briefing.

The new guidance is based on the model already used to modify the seasonal flu vaccine to keep up with annual changes in the virus and was issued jointly by regulators in the U.K., Australia, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency have issued similar guidance.

In Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s government says a court has sentenced a woman to 10 days in jail for breaching coronavirus quarantine requirements.

A news release Thursday said the 61-year-old, who wasn’t further identified, had been ordered to quarantine at home for 14 days last June. However, she left the place of quarantine on June 26 “without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorized officer,” the news release said.

Hong Kong requires all those arriving from Macao, mainland China and Taiwan to undergo 14 days of compulsory quarantine, while those who have visited a foreign country within 21 days of their arrival must undergo 21 days of quarantine at a designated hotel.

A total of 115 people in Hong Kong have been convicted for violating quarantine rules and received fines and sentences of up to 14 days

Taiwan, mainland China and Macao have virtually eliminated local transmission of the virus, while Hong Kong on Thursday reported 14 new local cases for a total of 11,047 with 200 deaths.