The world exceeded 300 million infections at the beginning of January 2022 and in just one month it added another hundred million. The rapid expansion of the omicron variant throughout the planet has been responsible for such an increase. In April 2022 the figure already exceeds 500 million, as a result the European Commission proposes COVID-19 Pandemic Next Steps.
The United States is the country with the highest death toll, with more than one million deaths; followed by Brazil, with more than 666,000; and India, with more than 524,000 dead.
Since March, COVID-19 infections have stabilized and, according to the latest report from the World Health Organization, between May 16 and 22, 3.7 million cases were recorded, 3% less than in the previous year. previous week. Regarding deaths, these also fell by 11%, reaching over 9,000 deaths on the planet as a whole.
Globally, this is the lowest level of mortality from the pandemic since March 2020.
The European Commission proposes a set of actions to manage the current phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for the next one. By working together, the EU has so far saved hundreds of thousands of lives thanks to COVID-19 vaccines
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic next steps, therefore, Member States take measures before the autumn to ensure continuous surveillance and coordination of health preparedness and response.
Remain vigilant as we exit the acute phase of COVID-19.
Member States have an opportunity to strengthen their surveillance, health care systems, and overall pandemic preparedness.
Next steps for Europe
The European Commission calls on member states to prepare for the next phase of the pandemic.
| Intensify vaccination and booster, taking into account the simultaneous circulation of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza.
| Obtaining reliable and representative estimates.
| Continue specific testing and sequencing of enough samples to determine the circulation of new variants.
| Invest in the recovery of health systems.
| Apply coordinated EU rules to ensure free and safe travel.
| Support the development of the next generation of vaccines and treatments.
| Step up collaboration against misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
| Continue to display global solidarity and improve global governance.
| Ensuring resilient supply chains during the pandemic, both for medical countermeasures and critical products across industrial ecosystems.
| It is also launching today a call for tender, under the EU FAB initiative, to reserve capacities for the manufacture of mRNA, protein and vector-based vaccines with facilities in the EU/EEA, which can apply until 3 June 2019. 2022 at 16:00 CEST.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We are entering a new phase of the pandemic, as we move from emergency mode to more sustainable management of COVID-19. However, we must remain vigilant. Infection figures remain high in the EU and many people continue to die from COVID-19 around the world. In addition, new variants can emerge and spread rapidly. But we know the way to go. We need to further step up vaccination and boosting, and targeted testing, and we must continue to coordinate our responses closely in the EU.”
Currently the United States leads the rise in the number of infections in the last week, with 713,000 new cases, followed by China (543,000). Regarding deaths, the United States is also the nation that has reported the most (1,900), ahead of Italy and Brazil (700).
The advance of new variants, such as the delta and the recent omicron, has caused cases to accelerate throughout the globe, although the lethality has decreased, we must be alert.
Source: European Commission
