COVID-19 Update: WHO On Precautions The Fully Vaccinated Need To Take

World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that various nations have acquired a “false sense of security” that we are nearing the end of the pandemic and that vaccinated individuals are fully protected against Covid-19. He has urged even those who have received both doses to continue practicing protocols, such as wearing masks and social distancing.

Although the majority of the infections reported worldwide are in Europe, Ghebreyesus emphasized that “no country or region is out of the woods”. He further clarified that those who are vaccinated are safer from developing severe symptoms of the virus, yet can still contract the disease and spread it.

“Even if you’re vaccinated, continue to take precautions to prevent becoming infected yourself, and to infecting someone else who could die,” Ghebreyesus said. “That means wearing a mask, maintaining distance, avoiding crowds and meeting others outside if you can, or in a well-ventilated space inside.”

The WHO European Region has stated that Europe's vaccination rates are concerningly low, warning that its death toll could surpass 2 million by this spring.

“We’ve only got 54% of the ... people living in Europe fully vaccinated,” Robb Butler, WHO's executive director for Europe, told CNBC. “There are [around] 45% who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated. That’s a bigger issue for our policy and decision-makers right now — driving up vaccination rates.”

There are around 4,200 COVID-related deaths per day in Europe, as the virus has become the leading cause of death on the continent. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, in the United States, about 1,100 people are dying daily from Covid.

Despite around 60% of Americans being fully vaccinated against COVID-19, health officials alert that hospitalizations are increasing as the Delta variant continues to rapidly spread, with immunity within vaccinated people declining.