It is too late now to stop new pandemic wave due to low vaccination coverage in too many countries, the World Health Organisation's Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge told N1, adding that the focus is now on keeping the mortality down. He stressed it was important for all countries to move forward together in terms of fighting the pandemic, because "no one is safe until everyone is safe."

In an interview with N1, Kluge spoke about the vaccination-related issues, new coronavirus variants and how the countries are dealing with the consequences of the pandemic.

He emphasised the importance of increasing the vaccination coverage and doubling the efforts to address those who are still hesitant about getting vaccinated.

According to him, the goal is not eliminating the virus but making the situation stable, which can be done by increasing the vaccination coverage.

However, he stressed lockdowns or mandatory vaccinations should be imposed as last resort when everything else has been tried.

Watch the full interview in the video below.