European Medicines Agency: We think the coronavirus epidemic continues

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the drug regulator of the European Union (EU), reported that the coronavirus epidemic is not over, and that there may be an increase in cases with the arrival of the winter months. EMA officials held a press conference on the latest situation in the coronavirus epidemic.

Marco Cavaleri, EMA's official in charge of vaccine strategy, stated that they have not seen a serious increase in coronavirus cases across Europe in recent months, "However, this can change very quickly with the cold winter months. The virus continues its evolution. Sub-variants such as BQ11 are increasing and replacing Omicron BA5." said.

Emphasizing that there is a slowdown in vaccinations against the Coronavirus in European countries, Cavaleri said that the rate of those who received booster vaccinations among the people most at risk across the EU is a disappointing 29 percent.

"It is important to vaccinate the elderly and people with weak immune systems or those who may have a weak immune system so that the number of hospitalizations does not increase in the coming weeks," Cavaleri said. he said.

EMA's Chief Medical Officer, Steffan Thirstrup, also stated that the virus that causes the coronavirus is still widely circulated.

Emphasizing that there is a potential for the virus to spread, especially among vulnerable people who are not vaccinated, Thirstrup continued as follows:

"We think that the epidemic is still continuing. We are close to the stage of containing the virus to some extent in Europe. However, we should not forget that it is a part of the global community. The epidemic will grow again when you remove the restrictions or the vaccinations are reduced. Therefore, we emphasize the message again. You should be vaccinated, especially if you are among vulnerable population groups. If you've been vaccinated, you should get your booster shot."