GENEVA (REUTERS) – Europe and North America should follow the example of Asian states by persevering with anti-Covid measures and quarantining anyone who comes into contact with infected people, a World Health Organisation (WHO) expert said on Monday (Oct 19).

The WHO’s Europe region, which includes Russia, has recorded up to 8,500 deaths in the past week – and half the countries have seen a 50 per cent rise in cases, Mike Ryan, the body’s top emergency expert, told a news conference.

Over recent months, authorities in Australia, China, Japan and South Korea had reduced the spread by detecting cases, isolating them and quarantining contacts, he said.