Europe Could Enjoy Covid ‘Ceasefire’ With Immunity Boost, Says WHO

  • Europe faces ‘period of tranquility,’ regional director says
  • Europe needs to drastically increase vaccinations, Kluge says

Diners at a restaurant in Paris. 

Photographer: Benjamin Girette/Bloomberg
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Europe is at a crossroads in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic with a potential “ceasefire” in sight, according to the director for the region at the World Health Organization.

While cases and hospitalizations from the omicron-driven wave are still rising in Europe, deaths from the disease are beginning to plateau, Hans Kluge told reporters at a briefing Thursday. As the current omicron wave recedes, Europeans will have a relatively high level of immunity derived from vaccines and from previous infections.