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End of pandemic in sight for Europe, WHO says

Two years after the outbreak of COVID-19, Europe could soon enter a “long period of tranquility” due to high vaccination rates, the milder Omicron variant and the end of winter, the WHO says.

WHO Europe director Hans Kluge says the respite is “a ceasefire that could bring us enduring peace… This context leaves us with the possibility for a long period of tranquility.”

Widespread immunity thanks to vaccines and infections, combined with the change of season, also puts Europe in a better position to fend off any resurgence in transmission, he says, “even with a more virulent variant” than Omicron.

“It is possible to respond to new variants that will inevitably emerge — without re-installing the kind of disruptive measures we needed before.”