Unimaginable human tragedy in Europe's care homes: WHO on COVID-19 epidemic
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Kluge informed that 'up to half of those who have died from COVID-19 were residents in long-term care facilities'
World Health Organization's(WHO) regional director Hans Kluge said that there was "unimaginable human tragedy" at Europe's care homes with the coronavirus outbreak.
Kluge informed that "up to half of those who have died from COVID-19 were residents in long-term care facilities", while describing the situation as "deeply concerning".
Kluge asserted that there was "an immediate and urgent need to rethink and adjust how long-term care facilities operate."
"Even among very old people who are frail and live with multiple chronic conditions, many have a good chance of recovery if they are well-cared for," he added.
Meanwhile, WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said leaving the elderly population islated was a difficult thing to manage.
"These are trade-offs that are very difficult to manage," Ryan said.
"There are many, many older people living in long-term care facilities who at the best of times are lonely, and the last number of weeks has been a terrible ordeal for them, both to be further isolated but also with the constant threat of potentially becoming sick with this disease," Ryan stressed.
Europe has been the hardest hit due to the virus with Italy, Spain, France and Germany reporting high casulties with over 45,000 casautlites majority of them have been the elderly.
Nearly half of all reported cases of the new coronavirus worldwide have been registered in the WHO's European region, which stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific