Covid infections at record level across Europe

Europe is the only region in the world where Covid-related deaths increased last week, rising by 5% according to the World Health Organisation. Of the 3.3 million new infections reported last week globally, 2.1 million of them came from the European region alone.

A month ago, the UK was leading this trend, grappling with one of the highest coronavirus infection and death rates in Western Europe. Yet, weeks later, a different picture is emerging.

In the UK things have tentatively improved. While case rates are still high – with over 30,000 new infections reported on Wednesday – they have dropped since late October where daily infections surpassed 50,000. 201 deaths from the virus were reported yesterday – a 12% drop from the week before.

Across much of the content, however, cases are soaring. While just over 500 per million people in the UK are currently testing positive for the virus every day, in Belgium and the Netherlands, the rates stand at 1,000 positive tests per million people and 900 per million respectively.

Germany is in the grip of a “dramatic” fourth wave, Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned, as German leaders prepare to hold a discussion on the possibility of reintroducing national restrictions. Covid infections surpassed 52,000 on Wednesday, hitting a new German record for the tenth consecutive day.

Countless other European countries have reached record levels for daily positive tests this week. On Wednesday, new Covid infections passed the 14,000 mark for the first time in Austria, while Czech Republic recorded over 22,000 cases and Slovakia over 8,300 cases, both for the first time since the pandemic began.

In Poland, cases rose to their highest level since April this week, and the number of Covid patients in hospital surpassed 15,000 – up 32% from the week before. In Russia, infection rates have fallen slightly this week but a record number of 1,247 coronavirus deaths were reported over the past 24 hours.

As the Covid situation worsens, more evidence of a two-tier society is emerging.

Most controversially of all, Austria has imposed a lockdown solely for the unvaccinated. Around two million citizens who aren’t fully vaccinated are now only allowed to leave their homes to go to work, shop for essentials or “stretch their legs”. Just how effectively the authorities will be able to police such a policy remains to be seen. But the mere attempt to introduce such an “authoritarian” measure has been enough to incense many.

Elsewhere, many German regions are only letting vaccinated individuals access bars, cafes, gyms and hairdressers, and Belgium is introducing vaccine passports for theatres, cinemas and museums.

Slovakia, which has one of the lowest vaccine rates in the EU with just 44% uptake, is planning similar measures. Eduard Heger, the country’s Prime Minister, says workplaces and non-essential shops will only be accessible to vaccinated staff or to those who could prove they have recovered from the virus. In Czech Republic, which has a vaccine uptake rate of 58% – still well below the EU average of 65%, anyone who is unvaccinated or can’t prove recovery from the the virus will soon be barred from accessing public events or services. From Monday, warns the country’s Prime Minister Andrej Babis, negative tests will no longer suffice.

France is also being hit by another Covid wave – with more than 20,000 new cases reported on Wednesday for the first time since August. However Macron’s government has insisted that the pre-existing health pass is helping the country to cope.

Interestingly, another country gearing up to introduce vaccine passports from the start of December for concerts and other large indoor events is Sweden. Sweden gained notoriety – and praise from libertarians – throughout the pandemic for its bold no-lockdown policy. But now, Lena Hallengren, the country’s Social Affairs Minister, is stressing that citizens have a wider public health obligation to society to come forward for their jabs: “You who are unvaccinated cannot just carry on as normal; your most important contribution is to get vaccinated.”