One hundred million cases in one hundred week: working towards better COVID-19 outcomes in the WHO European Region

This document presents the work undertaken by the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe)’s COVID-19 Incident Management Support Team (IMST) from the advent of COVID-19 into the European Region to the end of 2021. From the first COVID-19 cases in Europe reported on 24 January 2020, the pandemic reached 1 million cases within 3 months, 10 million cases within 8 months, and 100 million cases in Europe alone within 2 years. Over the course of its two years, COVID-19 has claimed over 1.6 million lives across Europe and Central Asia.

The World Health Organization (‎WHO)‎ European Region has accounted for close to a third of the cumulative global COVID-19 cases and deaths. In the context of the pandemic, a combination of vaccination and strong public health measures offer the clearest path to getting transmission under control. The trajectory of COVID-19 in the coming weeks, months, and year will be largely determined by the decisions and actions taken by individuals, communities and governments. With the support of Member States and partners at the global, regional, national, and community levels, WHO/Europe continues to work to reduce transmission across the European Region.