Six years after the first pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan in December 2019, the world has formally moved beyond the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2023, following an estimated global death toll of more than 6.9 million, the World Health Organization declared an end to the Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Yet, while the pandemic phase has passed, COVID-19 itself continues to circulate and pose a serious public health risk.
New research led by WHO/Europe and partners across seven Member States shows that SARS-CoV-2 is still responsible for significant numbers of hospitalizations and deaths across the WHO European Region. The findings also confirm that staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent severe illness, particularly among vulnerable populations.
Since the end of the pandemic, WHO/Europe has worked closely with ministries of health in eastern parts of the Region to strengthen surveillance of respiratory infections through the European Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Vaccine Effectiveness Network, known as EuroSAVE. Established in 2021, the network includes hospitals across the Balkans, South Caucasus and Central Asia and provides detailed data on severe respiratory disease trends in the post-pandemic period.
Analysis of nearly 4,000 patients hospitalized for acute respiratory infections between May 2023 and April 2024 found that almost 10 per cent had COVID-19. More than two thirds of these patients were over the age of 60, and a similar proportion had at least one chronic condition, placing them in groups recommended to receive annual COVID-19 vaccination. Despite this, only 3 per cent had received a COVID-19 vaccine within the previous 12 months.
The studies also showed that COVID-19 continues to cause severe outcomes. Thirteen per cent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients required admission to intensive care, and 11 per cent died. A comparative analysis covering the period from 2022 to 2024 found that patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were consistently more likely to experience severe outcomes, including the need for oxygen, intensive care admission and death, than those hospitalized with influenza.
Further EuroSAVE studies reinforced the protective value of up-to-date vaccination. Data from Kosovo showed that a COVID-19 vaccine received within the past six months was 72 per cent effective at preventing COVID-19-related hospitalization and 67 per cent effective at preventing the most severe outcomes, including intensive care admission and death. A multi-country analysis across six EuroSAVE participants found that recent vaccination reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations by 60 per cent.
Across all studies, surveillance data revealed very low uptake of recent COVID-19 vaccination among hospitalized patients in high-risk groups, with vaccines no longer available in some countries. These findings highlight persistent gaps in protection among older adults and people with chronic illnesses, despite clear evidence of vaccine effectiveness.
In response, WHO continues to stress the importance of revaccination for those at highest risk, including older adults, people with underlying health conditions, immunocompromised individuals, pregnant persons and health workers. WHO/Europe and national health authorities plan to continue enhanced surveillance through the EuroSAVE network to monitor the burden of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses and to guide evidence-based public health action in the years ahead.
