A slight improvement is recorded in the epidemiological situation in some areas of the continental European Union, which have moved to the "red" category, although the rest of the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA), including Cyprus, remain in the "deep red" category, the highest on the COVID-19 virus infectivity scale, according to a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) epidemiological map published on Thursday.
In particular, in the red category are Malta, as well as northeastern Romania, southeastern Poland and areas in southern and central Sweden. French Guiana (a French overseas territory in South America) has also moved into the red category.
The French overseas territory of Mayotte (located in the Indian Ocean) becomes the first EU region to move back into the green category in several weeks.
The map aims to inform local authorities and citizens about the epidemiological situation at the local level to facilitate decisions on the imposition of restrictive measures and citizens' travel decisions.
The data presented in the map refers to the number of new cases of COVID-19 per 100 thousand people in the last 14 days in each region of the EU/EEA countries, weighted by the vaccination rate in each region.
Note that this map does not record deaths or serious hospitalisations. It also does not record how many of the total cases are due to the Omicron variant.
The "green" category includes areas where the weighted case rate is below 40. When the index is below 100 but equal to or greater than 40, the affected areas fall into the "orange" category. When the index is below 300 but equal to or greater than 100, the areas fall into the 'red' category. When the index is equal to or above 300, they fall into the "deep red" category.
The map and related data are made public by the ECDC every Thursday, supporting efforts made on the basis of an EU Council Recommendation on the coordination of restrictions on free movement due to the pandemic, which was revised on 25 January and implemented on 1 February.
The maps are based on the latest data in the database sent by Member States to the European Surveillance System (TESSy) by midnight on Tuesday.
Source:CNA
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