A woman in Slovakia recieving the Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19. Photo: VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP via Getty Images
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recommended booster shots for all adults in a statement on Wednesday, as COVID-19 reaches new daily highs throughout the continent.
The big picture: Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Hungary all reported new daily highs in infections on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
- Less than 70% of the EU population has been vaccinated for COVID-19, per the statement.
- The World Health Organization warned that Europe was "back at the epicenter of the pandemic," earlier this month.
The ECDC recommended booster shots for all adults, with adults over 40 and healthcare workers being prioritized.
What they're saying: "Motivating people to follow these measures is even more important as we move towards winter and the festive season when more people will travel and gather indoors," ECDC Director Andrea Ammon said in the statement on Wednesday.
- Ammon added that until more of the population gets immunized soon, "non-pharmaceutical interventions," such as masks "must continue to remain part of our daily routine."