In its weekly assessment of the pandemic, issued late
Tuesday, the U.N. health agency said the number of new coronavirus infections
rose by 5% and that the rate of increase appears to be slowing; only half of
regions reported an increase in COVID-19. Earlier this month, the previous
highest number of cases — 9.5 million — was recorded amid a 71% spike from the
week before, as the hugely contagious omicron variant swept the world.
WHO said the biggest increase in cases was seen in the
Middle East, with a 39% rise, followed by a 36% jump in Southeast Asia. Deaths
increased in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Americas, but fell in
other regions.
On Monday, WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
cautioned against talk that the pandemic might be entering its “endgame,”
warning that conditions remain ripe for new variants to emerge, with vast
swathes of unvaccinated people in some countries amid rapid virus transmission.
Still, Tedros said it might be possible for the world to
exit the acute phase of the pandemic, if goals like immunizing at least 70% of
each country’s population are met later this year.
In Britain, researchers at Imperial College London recorded
the highest-ever prevalence rate of COVID-19 in England earlier this month,
estimating that about one in every 23 people tested had the virus.
The scientists said there were indications the massive spike
caused by omicron had started to level off but that infection rates remained
high. Scientists have said that omicron is far less likely to cause serious
disease and hospitalization but spreads much faster than previous COVID-19
variants, including delta. -AP
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