Europe Must Face ‘COVID-19 Fatigue,’ Go Beyond Science To Adequately Address Pandemic, WHO Official Says

CNBC: Rising levels of pandemic fatigue are being seen in Europe, WHO warns
“Rising levels of ‘Covid-19 fatigue’ are being seen in Europe, the regional director of the World Health Organization said Tuesday. Hans Kluge said that the ‘huge sacrifices’ made to contain the coronavirus had come ‘at an extraordinary cost, which has exhausted all of us, regardless of where we live, or what we do’…” (Ellyatt, 10/6).

The Guardian: Europe must go beyond science to survive Covid crisis, says WHO
“…Hans Kluge, the WHO’s Europe director, said that while fatigue from months of uncertainty and disruption was measured differently in different countries, aggregated survey data from across the region suggested that in some cases it had reached levels of over 60%. Medical science alone would not be enough to get through the crisis, he warned, with authorities needing the ‘courage and empathy’ to listen properly to the public and develop policies based on a better understanding of people’s needs and behaviors…” (Henley, 10/6).

CNN: Only four countries in Europe are below a critical coronavirus threshold (Woodyatt/Frater, 10/5).

Devex: ‘Do not be afraid to tell uncomfortable truths,’ Germany tells COVID-19 evaluation panels (Ravelo, 10/7).

NPR: A Comparison Between German And U.K. Pandemic Responses (Langfitt/Schmitz, 10/7).

Science: ‘It’s been so, so surreal.’ Critics of Sweden’s lax pandemic policies face fierce backlash (Vogel, 10/6).

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