Low vaccination rates against the latest versions of Covid-19 and influenza are putting pressure on healthcare systems this winter, leading public health officials have said.
In the United States, several European countries and other parts of the world, there have been reports of rising hospitalisations linked to respiratory infections in recent weeks.
Death rates have also ticked up among older adults in some regions, but far below the pandemic peak. Spain’s government has reinstated mask-wearing requirements at healthcare facilities, as have some US hospital networks. "Too many people are in need of serious medical care for flu, for Covid, when we can prevent it," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s interim director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness.
She cited "incredibly low" vaccination rates against flu and Covid in many countries this season, as the world tries to move past the pandemic and its restrictions.