WHO warns against lifting restrictions too soon

The head of the World Health Organization's Europe office on Thursday warned that the virus pandemic was far from over, even though outbreaks in some European nations appeared to be stabilising or decreasing.

Speaking at a briefing in Denmark, WHO Europe director Dr. Hans Kluge said complacency "could be our worst enemy at this time".

"The question is not whether there will be a second wave. The question is whether we will take into account the biggest lesson so far, namely to work between waves to strengthen readiness and surge for worst case scenarios," he explained.

He went on to calling on governments to maintain or increase their epidemic response efforts and carefully consider when and how to loosen any lockdown measures, warning that "this is not an 'exit': there is no fast track to the new normal".

Kluge also noted that about half of the global burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths are in Europe and that in the last week, numbers have increased in the east, citing Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.

He said WHO was soon sending teams to Belarus, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan to boost their control efforts.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.