As Covid infection rates surged again across Europe, Boris Johnson spoke this week of “storm clouds gathering” over parts of the continent and said it was unclear when or how badly the latest wave would “wash up on our shores”. The UK began that same period with a daily infection rate of 505 per million people, nearly five times the EU27 average. Slovakia and Slovenia are currently the EU’s hardest-hit countries, with rolling seven-day average rates of 1,643 and 1,581 per million respectively. Other EU members including Ireland, Hungary, Greece and the Baltic states also have infection rates higher than the UK’s. Infection rates in Romania and Bulgaria, previously the EU’s worst-affected countries, are now also much lower.

Source: The Guardian November 20, 2021 05:43 UTC