View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. World
17 May 2021

How eastern Europe’s Covid-19 crisis surpassed the west

Slow vaccine roll-outs appear to have hit states such as Hungary and Czechia particularly hard.

By Patrick Scott

Western Europe’s plight during the Covid-19 pandemic has been heavily documented throughout the past year, and with good reason. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that European countries further east are likely to end with the highest death tolls.

For instance, the UK, which entered its penultimate stage of lockdown easing today, fell out of the European top ten this week for cumulative Covid-19 death rates. Poland has taken its place.

The virus’s arrival in Europe in Italy last spring was broadcast around the world, with scenes of overrun hospitals and the sound of near-constant ambulance sirens featuring nightly on news bulletins.

Spain, the UK and Belgium were the next nations to be hit hard, all climbing to the top of the table for Covid-19 death rates and staying there for most of 2020. However, as you can see in our animated chart below, eastern European countries now comprise seven of the top 10 (and all of the top five) slots for cumulative death rates in Europe.

 

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

The slow progress of vaccination programmes has contributed to this rise. In Czechia, the country with the second highest cumulative death rate, just 31 doses per 100 people have been administered, compared to 75 per 100 in the UK.

As we have seen in India, countries with low vaccination coverage are particularly vulnerable to more transmissible strains of the virus. Richer countries such as the UK might be able to mass-vaccinate their way through outbreaks of new variants, but those where vaccination rates are low will almost certainly suffer a further heavy cost to life and economic health if such a variant were to take hold.

Central and eastern European nations tend to have lower levels of Covid-19 vaccine coverage
Total vaccination rates in Europe so far

 

You can get more information on how different countries, both in Europe and across the world, are coping with Covid-19 at our international tracker page.

[See also: Does the Indian variant mean the UK will suffer a dangerous third wave of Covid-19?]

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Topics in this article :
Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU