Alarming rate of transmission in Europe is a wakeup call for all: WHO

COPENHAGEN: World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the world about the alarming rate of transmission of COVID-19 in Europe. It said that this should serve as a wakeup call for all and also advised against shortening the quarantine periods. Europe has witnessed a significant increase in the COVID-19 cases with increasing number of tests and opening of various public places. On Friday, September 11, almost 54,000 COVID-19 cases were recorded in 24 hours in Europe, which is till now the highest number of cases in a single day for the continent. As schools reopen and indoor activities are allowed in parts of Europe, it has alerted governments, authorities and health experts that the pandemic is not yet over.

WHO informed that they will not change the guidance on the 14-day quarantine period for someone who is exposed to the novel coronavirus. Catherine Smallwood, Senior Emergency Officer, WHO Europe, said that the recommended quarantine period of 14 days is based on the study of coronavirus, incubation period and transmission of the disease.

In some countries, the quarantine period has been revised. For example, in France this has been reduced to seven days, in United Kingdom and Ireland the period is 10 days and many other countries such as Portugal and Croatia are also considering the revision of the quarantine period. WHO Europe consists of 53 member states which have reported almost 50 lakh COVID-19 positive cases and almost 2.3 lakh deaths, according to WHO data.