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EU disease agency predicts spike in Covid cases by Aug 1

Increased deaths forecasted also for Greece, Lithuania, Slovenia

16 July, 13:20
(ANSA-AFP) - STOCKHOLM, JUL 16 - The EU's disease agency said Friday it was predicting a sharp increase in coronavirus cases, with nearly five times as many new infections by August 1. The expected rise in cases was linked to the highly-transmissible Delta variant, first identified in India, along with the relaxing of measures in European countries. In its coverage area -- which includes the European Union, Norway and Iceland -- the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) expected to see 420 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for the week ending on August 1, up from just under 90 last week, it said in a weekly report. By the week after, the number of new cases is expected to rise above 620 per 100,000 inhabitants. "The current continuing deterioration of the epidemiological situation in many countries is expected to continue given the rapid increase in the Delta variant," the ECDC said in the report.

Hospitalisations and deaths are also expected, although at a slower pace, according to the ECDC, thanks to the rollout of vaccination campaigns. Currently, hospitalisations remain stable in most countries but the number of deaths associated with Covid-19 is expected to exceed 10 per 1,000,000 inhabitants again, compared with 6.8 last week, the agency noted. The ECDC said it was forecasting increasing cases in 20 countries and increased deaths in nine: Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.

(ANSA-AFP).

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