Why did Eastern Europe and the Baltics get so badly hit by the latest COVID-19 wave? | DW News

As winter approaches, cases of COVID-19 are rising across Europe. Eastern Europe and the Baltics are seeing the highest numbers, and some countries and cities are turning to lockdowns to pull them back from the brink.

Latvia has the highest rate of new cases of any European Union country, with nearly 900 cases per 100,000 residents reported in the last week. The government imposed a nationwide lockdown on October 21 -- the first in Europe this autumn.

EU members Slovenia and Estonia are also considering lockdowns. Both are also seeing a weekly case rate of over 500 per 100,000 people. In all three of these countries only a little over half of the population has been fully vaccinated.
DW Correspondent Teri Schultz reports from the Latvian capital Riga.

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