As many as half of the people who have died from Covid-19 in Europe were residents in long-term care facilities, according to estimates from the World Health Organization.
“This is an unimaginable human tragedy,” WHO’s Europe Director Hans Kluge said during a press conference Thursday.
Kluge described the emerging picture of Covid-19 in long-term care facilities as “deeply concerning” and said it is a global problem.
“This pandemic has shone a spotlight on the overlooked and undervalued corners of our society. Across the European Region, long-term care has often been notoriously neglected. But it should not be this way,” said Kluge, calling the workers employed in these facilities as “the unsung heroes of this pandemic.”
Kluge said there is an “immediate and urgent need” to rethink and adjust how long-term care facilities operate.
