Covid September 2020

September 2020

16 September (29,611,395 cases)

• ECDC News Story: "COVID-19: Cases increasing across Europe". What's the bottom line?
  • In many countries across the EU/EEA and the UK, an increase of COVID-19 cases is being observed following the lifting of lockdowns and the relaxation of preventive measures such as physical distancing.
  • As schools reopen and more indoor activities are held, the increase of cases comes as a reminder that the pandemic is not over.
  • Recent evidence confirms the importance of physical distancing for the prevention of person-to-person transmission. Physical distancing of one metre or more has been proven to ensure a five-fold reduction in the transmission risk, and every extra metre of distance gives twice the protective effect.
  • ECDC recommends that testing efforts are maximised, with the aim of offering timely testing to all symptomatic cases, including mild ones. Along with rapid contact tracing, large-scale testing is the key to controlling transmission within a population, followed by the isolation and treatment of identified cases and the quarantining of contacts.
  • Everybody has a role to play in preventing the further spread of the disease by observing simple preventive measures, including:
    • Increased hand hygiene;
    • Proper cough and respiratory etiquette;
    • Appropriate use of face masks;
    • Staying home when even mildly ill;
    • Physical distancing.

17 September

• ECDC publishes Baseline projections of COVID-19 in the EU/EEA and the UK. . What does it say?
  • The report presents projections and graphs of all EU countries but lacks an interpretation in terms of public health consequences. Was it that the authors did not dare to draw meaningful conclusions? It remains unknown

18 September ()

• ECDC Publishes 'COVID testing Strategies', a technical report. What's in it? Selected highlights:
  • Countries experiencing high SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a local community should consider testing the whole population of the affected area. This would enable identification of infectious COVID-19 cases and allow for their prompt isolation to interrupt chains of transmission. Depending on the epidemiological situation, size and population density of the affected area, such an approach could be less disruptive for society than having to introduce and ensure compliance with more stringent public health measures.
  • To prevent re-introduction, countries or sub-national areas that have achieved sustained control of SARS-CoV-2 circulation should, in addition to quarantine measures, consider targeted testing and follow-up of individuals coming from other areas within the same country, or from other countries that have not yet achieved sustained control of the virus.