The US rate of new cases per capita at that time dwarfed Europe by about three to one. While European governments were preparing their roadmap towards normalcy, the US was grappling with warnings of a surge in infections and pressure on hospitals.
But by Monday, when the new rules went into effect and thousands of tourists flocked to US cities across the Atlantic, both regions had experienced a dramatic reversal of fortunes.
Infections are rising in most of the countries that make up the Schengen Area, the block of 26 countries where entry rules into the US have been relaxed. Travelers from the United Kingdom and Ireland were also included in the US policy change.
“We are at another critical point in the resurgence of the pandemic,” WHO regional director Hans Kluge said last week, warning that the speed of transmission across the region was of “grave concern”.
“According to a reliable estimate, if we stay on this trajectory, we could see half a million COVID-19 deaths in Europe and Central Asia by the first of February next year,” Kluge warned. 53 were added. His patch could also see high or extreme stress on hospital beds.
The death rate as a result of Europe’s current wave is not as high as the US summer spike. But it is reminiscent of the cyclical nature of the pandemic, experts said.
“The situation was to be expected in some cases across Europe. We anticipated that there would be an increase in cases around this time of year,” said Professor Paul Wilms from the Luxembourg Center for Systems Biomedicine.
and others note that the relative success of some highly vaccinated countries such as Spain and Portugal – where cases remain at manageable levels despite a general upward trend across the continent – serve as an example for governments in Europe and elsewhere. Huh. Huh. Watts can be done.
“This is happening in many countries, but it is not inevitable,” said Martin Mackie, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “We need to look at what’s happening and what policies are leading to it … there are things that can be done.”
vaccination barriers
America’s vaccine rollout outpaced Europe in its early months, but the two regions crossed paths in the summer when the EU’s rate of new shots surpassed that of the US.
Now the focus is on the non-vaccinated areas of both regions, as leaders struggle to kickstart their plateau vaccine campaign.
US President Joe Biden has intensified his rhetoric against unvaccinated people in recent weeks, telling reporters at the White House that they “can do a lot of harm, and they are.”
“Our hospitals are overcrowded without vaccinations, emergency rooms and intensive care units are overrun, leaving no room for a heart attack, or pancreatitis, or cancer,” the president said in September.
A handful of European governments are beginning to imitate his bullish stance, as they become frustrated with stalled rollouts and take a more direct approach towards those who hesitate to get a shot.
Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn said this month the country was facing a “massive” pandemic without vaccination. “The truth is that India will have very few Covid-19 patients. [intensive care] If everyone could do that, they would be vaccinated.
“There is a growing recognition that people who are unwilling to contribute to solving the challenges of the pandemic are putting other people at risk,” Mackie said. “They are reducing recovery for other people, and there is growing impatience from politicians and the public towards them”, he said.
But the two sectors ultimately face related challenges.
In Europe, a distinct divide in vaccine taking has become equally apparent; Countries to the west and north of the continent have posted higher figures, led by Portugal and Spain on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula, where the share of the fully vaccinated population is 87% and 80%, respectively. But the eastward trend is sharply downward.
Romania and Bulgaria, which are not included in the Schengen travel area and therefore not included in the US’s relaxed entry rules, are particularly struggling for doses. Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic have also failed to keep pace with their neighbors to the west, with all four countries having so far vaccinated less than 60% of their populations.
“It’s not new — we’ve seen it for other vaccines,” Wilms said. “In some countries you see an underlying level of conformity to vaccination campaigns more than in others.”
“We know that vaccination has an effect on transmission — the more people that are vaccinated within a population, the more you can limit transmission,” he said. But he said reduced immunity had become an “obvious reality” and presented an additional challenge for governments.
‘cultural difference’
The second major issue of the US approach has been on face masks; Biden made face coverings mandatory on federal property during his first day in office, and has since urged states to ensure their use in schools, offices and elsewhere.
But the mask has become a symbol of a divided society in America, and partisan leanings emphasize how often they are used.
Experts say Europe has defied that division. “People do not see wearing masks as a violation of personal liberty, as some parts of the US do. There’s definitely a cultural difference,” Wilms said.
Travel rules have been eased in Europe in recent months, and several countries have rolled back restrictions on gatherings – raising concerns on the continent that a new surge in cases could coincide with a return to measures.
“Countries that have relaxed measures have done so at times when case numbers were low, and many people were being vaccinated,” Wilms said. “We don’t have crystal balls – it’s a tough decision call that governments have to make.”
Meanwhile, many European countries such as France, Italy and Germany, along with some national counterparts, have adopted the European Union’s digital certificate system and vaccine passports to approve entry to bars, clubs and restaurants.
The security measures, Wilms said, presented “an important measure in trying to limit transmission”.
“Vaccine passports have been helpful in preventing unvaccinated people from mixing together, but also encourage people to get vaccinated,” Mackie said.
The US has not followed the EU system, but Biden has pushed ahead with plans for some companies and regions to start requiring the vaccine. His administration announced last week that its vaccine rules, which apply to private businesses with 100 or more employees, some health care workers and federal contractors, will take effect from January.
“The best way out of this pandemic is through vaccination,” Biden said in a statement. “And while I very much wish that necessities did not become essential, many people remain undeterred as to how to get out of this pandemic for good. So I’ve set requirements – and they’re working.”