EU member states must start preparing now for a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the autumn and winter, the bloc’s health chief said on Monday, saying the number of outbreaks had “risen alarmingly”, Reuters reported.

European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides also warned against complacency, saying the pandemic is not over yet.

“Unfortunately, several countries are seeing an alarming increase in the pandemic,” she told Cyprus state radio.

“For the past two months, we have been preparing for autumn and winter, fully aware that the next wave of the pandemic cannot and should not further burden our economies or our societies, especially at a time when we have suffered from the war and the invasion of Ukraine, as well as inflation “, she said.

Kyriakides, who is Cypriot, told the radio and television station that Brussels had asked member states to speed up revaccination for people over 60 and vulnerable groups.

“These should be preparatory months… So that our health care systems are ready for possible new waves that can, for example, be combined with seasonal flu,” she added.