In a sobering assessment of the COVID-19 situation in Europe and Central Asia today, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) European regional office warned that countries could see another half million deaths by February and that 43 nations could face extreme pressure on hospital beds.Hospitalizations double in past weekHans Henri Kluge, MD, MPH, said the region's transmission patterns are a grave concern, with cases again approaching record levels fueled by the more transmissible Delta (B1617.2) variant.
Over the past months, the region's cases have increased 55%.All age groups are now swept up in the surge, with a worrying rise in older age groups that has been under way since late September, Kluge said, adding that 67% of deaths