Coronavirus: according to the WHO, vaccines are effective …

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that currently available and approved vaccines against the coronavirus they are so far effective for “all variants of the virus”. However, the agency asked to act “cautiously” since there is no “zero risk”.

While the health situation is improving in Europe, the evolution of the pandemic still does not allow international travel to resume safely by “a persistent threat and new uncertainties”, warned Hans Kluge, the director for Europe of the WHO.

“It’s an unpredictable threat,” said Catherine Smallwood, emergency manager at WHO Europe. “The pandemic has not ended,” he added.

According to the institution’s data, across the region (which reaches as far as part of Central Asia), the number of new cases fell by 60% in one month, going from 1.7 million in mid-April to 685,000 last week.

“We are going in the right direction, but we must be vigilant because increased mobility, physical interactions and meetings can lead to increased transmission in Europe “, insisted the regional director.

The reduction of social restrictions must be carried out in parallel with an increase in detection, tracing and vaccination. “There is no zero risk”, Kluge reiterated. “Vaccines may be a light at the end of the tunnel, but we cannot afford to be blinded by that light,” he concluded.