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GENEVA Rates of Covid-19 infection and hospital bed occupancy are rising in Europe, where the authorities need to work to halt the spread ahead of the influenza season, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official has said.

"Europe has a lot of work to do to stabilise the situation and bring transmission under control," WHO's emergency expert Mike Ryan told a press conference on Friday.

"Overall, within that very large region, we are seeing a worrying increase in disease."

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on Covid-19, said: "We are at the end of September and we haven't even started our flu season yet, so what we are worried about is the possibility that these trends are going in the wrong direction."

Earlier admissions to hospitals and the use of the steroid dexamethasone were saving lives, she said, adding: "We want to avoid any national lockdowns that were happening in the beginning."

Pressure is mounting on European leaders to contain the resurgent coronavirus pandemic as countries such as Spain re-emerge as hot spots.

In Spain, tensions erupted into a public spat, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government urging local Madrid officials to lock down the entire city.

The proposal was promptly rebuffed by the capital region's administration, which is controlled by the biggest opposition party to Mr Sanchez's coalition.

Europe's biggest economies are experiencing a disquieting spike in infections, adding to risks weighing on a slowing recovery.

Officials in Italy and France are facing new questions about intensive care capacity, and Britain's daily cases remain at the highest level yet. Italy reported over 1,900 new infections on Friday, the most since May 1.

The authorities across the region are fighting back with a series of piecemeal measures dubbed "lockdown lite".

But even those limited curbs are spurring unrest. Madrid has seen street protests in working-class areas subject to new curbs, with locals claiming officials are favouring wealthier neighbourhoods.

In Marseille, French Health Minister Olivier Veran sought to confront detractors of the Paris government's move to close the city's bars and restaurants for at least two weeks, saying it is a way to avert even stricter measures.

Mr Veran also cited the risk of a breakdown in intensive-care unit care at a time of "maximum alert" for the Marseille area. That means taking "the necessary measures, even if they are unpopular", he said on Twitter.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG

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