As winter comes, the circulation of viruses that cause Covid-19 and seasonal influenza could possibly trigger a “twindemic”, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides warned on Friday. “As we move from autumn to winter... we need to take action and ensure our health systems do not become overburdened,” Kyriakides said in a statement.

The commissioner said up to 40,000 people in the European Union (EU) lose their lives each year due to influenza-related causes even without the pandemic, calling on the public to get vaccinated against the seasonal influenza. With Covid-19 restrictions in place, the EU had an “extremely mild flu season” last year. “Let’s ensure that we do not have a resurgence this year, as our societies gradually reopen,” she warned. Nearly three-fourths of the adult population in the EU has been fully vaccinated, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).