Passengers wait for the train at the metro station amid the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Barcelona, Spain, January 12, 2022. REUTERS / Nacho Doce
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BRUSSELS, April 27 (Reuters) – The European Commission says between 60% and 80% of the EU population is estimated to be infected with COVID-19 as the bloc enters a post-emergency phase in which mass reporting of cases is no longer possible. necessary.
In preparation for this less acute phase, European Union governments must increase immunizations against children’s COVID-19, the bloc’s executive said, signaling that it was considering plans to develop antiviral drugs.
“It is estimated that between 60% and 80% of the EU population has had COVID so far,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told a news conference.
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The EU’s Public Health Agency said the cases reported so far covered about 30% of the European population, but if undeclared infections are added, the cases could reach 350 million, about 77% of the European population.
With the recent decline in COVID-19-related infections and deaths, the EU is now moving away from mass testing and case reporting, Kyriakides said, confirming what Reuters reported on Tuesday. Read more
But new spikes in COVID-19 are likely, as the virus is expected to continue to mutate and therefore countries must have plans to switch back to emergency mode and must increase vaccinations, the commission said.
In a document outlining the strategy for the post-emergency phase of the pandemic, Brussels called on governments to continue to push for the immunization of the unvaccinated, especially children, before the start of the new school term in the autumn.
The level of immunization is below 15% among children between the ages of 5 and 9, the youngest age group for which COVID-19 vaccines are allowed in Europe. This compares to more than 70% of teenagers aged 15 to 17, the document said.
The Commission also said it could support the development of new drugs against COVID-19, especially antivirals, which are easier to store and administer.
The EU “will explore opportunities to support projects aimed at developing anti-virus tools,” it said.
The antiviral pills against COVID-19, developed by Pfizer (PFE.N) and Merck & Co (MRK.N), are approved for use in the EU. However, their use has so far been limited for a number of reasons, including the delay in the pandemic, high prices and complex national procedures for prescribing them.
The EU’s executive director also said he would work to support the development of the next generation of vaccines against COVID-19, which are expected to offer more stable and long-lasting protection against infection or transmission.
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Report by Francesco Guaraschio; Edited by Toby Chopra
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