Europe has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic yet again, urging governments to consider re-imposing lockdowns.

Europe accounts for over half of the average 7-day cases worldwide and about half of new deaths, suggests a Reuters tally. This figure is the highest since April 2020. Vaccination campaigns have plateaued ahead of the flu season. Around 65% of people in the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, have been administered two vaccine doses, as per EU data; however, the pace has slowed over the past few months. There is about 80% vaccine take-up in southern European countries, while vaccine hesitancy has affected the rollout in central and eastern Europe as well as Russia, resulting in outbreaks that could overwhelm healthcare service. Germany, France and the Netherlands are also witnessing a spike in infections… (ET Healthworld – Reuters, November 12, 2021)