BRUSSELS, Nov 20, 2021 (BSS/XINHUA) - Faced with soaring numbers of COVID-
19 cases, many European countries have tightened anti-pandemic measures and
accelerated vaccination programmes.

  According to the World Health Organization's weekly report on Tuesday,
during the past week there were 230 newly confirmed cases per 100,000 people
in Europe within seven days, the highest rate in the world.

  Experts believe that the new wave in Europe, now dubbed as the epicenter of
the global pandemic, is related to the arrival of winter, premature loosening
of COVID-19 measures and insufficient vaccination.

  SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES

  Data released by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), a German disease control
agency, on Friday showed 52,970 new cases and 201 new deaths from COVID-19 on
a single day, with the seven-day infection rate (the number of new cases per
100,000 people within seven days) rising to an all-time high of 340.7.
Germany reported on Thursday that the number of confirmed cases had exceeded
65,000 for the first time.

  The Austrian Ministry of Health reported on Friday an increase of 15,809
new cases, the largest increase in a single day since the outbreak of the
pandemic.

  Moreover, new COVID-19 cases in Britain, France, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia,
Greece, the Netherlands, Ireland and other countries have all reached new
highs in recent days, placing heavy strain on the medical systems of many
countries.

  Polish Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski said Thursday his country might
face a peak in infections next month, and the current bed occupancy rate for
the treatment of new COVID patients in the country has already reached 72
percent.

  In Slovenia, the pandemic has forced local hospitals to cancel non-
emergency operations and prioritize using medical resources for the treatment
of COVID-19 patients.

  MULTIPLE REASONS

  Experts believe that the increase in indoor activities in winter and the
premature relaxation of preventive measures are the reasons behind the
rebound of the pandemic and urge governments to increase vaccination rates.

  Lothar Wieler, RKI's president, said on Wednesday that Germany was "opening
too many fields too fast." In his view, clubs and bars must be closed, large-
scale events should be cancelled, and pandemic prevention regulations should
be strictly enforced.

  Irish Health Service Executive chief Paul Reid said Thursday that after the
country lifted most of the preventive measures last month, the number of new
cases, hospitalized cases and severe cases had increased significantly,
putting tremendous pressure on the national medical system.

  Meanwhile, experts have emphasized the importance of vaccination to counter
the pandemic. The RKI has warned that if there is no significant increase in
vaccination rates based on the size of the population, the severity of the
epidemic in Germany will be far greater than before.

  According to Julian Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester in
Britain, the Delta strain of the virus can easily bypass natural immunity and
vaccine immunity, and cause more symptomatic and serious infections in people
who have not been vaccinated.

  Experts believe that the worsening situation in some Eastern European
countries, including Croatia and Slovenia, is closely related to their low
vaccination rates, which are among the lowest in the EU.

   TIGHTENING COVID-19 MEASURES

  In the face of a new wave of coronavirus, many European countries have
tightened preventive measures and promoted vaccination.

  Germany's Bundesrat, the country's upper parliament, approved amendments to
the infection protection act on Friday in order to contain the accelerating
rate of COVID-19 cases. The amendment introduces the so-called 3G rule, which
stands for vaccinated, recovered or tested, and will apply in workplaces as
well as on local and long-distance public transport.

  "We are responding to the very difficult coronavirus situation with
necessary and legally secure measures," said health expert from the Social
Democratic Party (SPD) Sabine Dittmar on Thursday, when the law was approved
in the lower house, the Bundestag.

  To curb the pandemic, the Austrian government announced Friday that it will
implement a nationwide lockdown from Nov 22, as well as mandatory
vaccination.

  Under the lockdown measures, residents across the country will not be
allowed to leave home except to go to work, shop for daily essentials or
exercise. The lockdown will initially last until Dec. 12, with a re-
evaluation of the situation after 10 days, Austrian Chancellor Alexander
Schallenberg announced.

  Moreover, Schallenberg said nationwide mandatory vaccination will start
from Feb. 1 next year. Those who refuse vaccination will be subject to heavy
penalties, constituting the toughest measures in Europe in recent weeks.

  The Netherlands is implementing three-week prevention and control measures,
including restoring the 1.5-meter social distancing requirement in public
places and restricting the business hours of commercial stores.

  The country has also brought forward the rollout of booster vaccination,
originally planned for the start of December, by two weeks. The campaign will
begin with booster vaccination for people over 80 and front-line medical
staff.

  Countries including Italy, Greece, Hungary, Sweden, Croatia and Slovenia
are also urging people to get vaccinated.

  "The hospitals are filling up quickly and the number of infections is on
the rise. I sincerely cannot imagine what would it take for people to
understand how important it is to go and get the shot?" Hungary's Chief
Medical Officer Cecilia Muller said in a recent video posted on the
government's Facebook page.