For weeks, Spain and Italy were epicentres of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their health defences had an important gap: large staffing shortages and low ratios of nurses to doctors. At the same time, nurses had higher infection rates than the general population, mainly because of the lack of personal protective equipment.
We have gathered data on excess deaths from 500 European regions to better understand the spread of the virus. Some regions report up to three times as many deaths as usual since March, but a large part of Europe has been able to live through the first wave of the pandemic without any significant excess death.
You can explore the pedestrian occupation, road traffic and flights of European capitals in this data visualization, which shows the current percentage of occupation compared to the normal levels before the coronavirus lockdown.
Articles
There was no barrier to Covid-19 transmission in Greek prisons
Wednesday 18 May 2022 |
Janine Louloudi Nikos Morfonios
Thanasis Troboukis
| MIIR
The spread of coronavirus in Greek prisons was 1.4 times faster than in the general population during July-February 2022. The occupancy rate increased during the pandemic, and one in three prisoners is estimated to have contracted the coronavirus to date.
France: The pandemic has exposed a dysfunctional prison system
Monday 13 December 2021 |
Margot Hemmerich | Alternatives Economiques
While the poor state of French prisons led many to fear a serious health crisis in the wake of Covid-19, the worst of those fears have not materialised. However, the drastic lockdown measures have done nothing to benefit the mental health of detainees. Nor have they led to any serious reevaluation of the system itself.
Covid-19 spread twice as fast in Greek prisons
Tuesday 22 March 2022 |
Nikos Morfonios Janine Louloudi
| MIIR
Overcrowding, abuse of the minimum personal space of prisoners, hospitalization without segregation of patients, crowded quarantine, lack of medical staff and health measures, delayed vaccination - these are just some of the causes that lead to the virus’s spread.
Overcrowding, isolation, and shrinking of human rights in Greek prisons
Monday 21 March 2022 |
Thanasis Troboukis | iMEdD
During the first months of the pandemic, the spread of the virus in Greek prisons appeared to have been limited. Today it is estimated that one in three inmates has contracted coronavirus, despite the fact that correctional facilities were operating under a strict lockdown. What went wrong?
Covid-19 vaccine access for undocumented migrants: a missed opportunity for European public health
Friday 11 February 2022 |
Francesca Spinelli | Voxeurop
A survey coordinated by Lighthouse Reports and Picum reveals that when it comes to vaccinating undocumented residents, governments have often not done enough, and sometimes nothing at all, putting the health of the general population at risk.
Covid-19 and prisons: painful closures and encouraging innovations
Friday 04 February 2022 |
Lorenzo Ferrari | OBC Transeuropa
An interview with Alessio Scandurra, director of the European Prison Observatory, to understand the impact of the pandemic on European prisons, in terms of both healthcare and opportunities for inmates.
