WHO: New Covid deaths fell 17% last week, but cases continue to rise

In the UN health agency’s weekly report on the pandemic, released late Tuesday, the WHO said there were more than 11 million new COVID-19 infections – an increase of about 8% – and 43,000 new deaths last week. The number of deaths from COVID-19 globally has been declining for the past three weeks.

The largest increases in cases were seen in the western Pacific and Africa, where infections rose 29% and 12%, respectively. Elsewhere, cases have declined by more than 20% in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Americas. In Europe, cases increased by about 2%.

The WHO said those numbers “should be interpreted with caution.” It noted that many countries are changing their COVID-19 testing strategies as they exit the acute phase of the pandemic, and are conducting far fewer tests than before, meaning many new cases are emerging. Huh. not found

In recent weeks, countries including Sweden and the UK have announced plans to drop widespread testing for COVID-19, saying the massive investment is no longer worth the effort. Nevertheless, there has been a slight increase in infections, hospitalizations and deaths in the UK, driven by the more infectious Omicron subvariant BA.2. Another contributing factor has been the suspension of almost all COVID-19 protocols as more people discard masks and gather in large numbers.

The WHO noted that although COVID-19 is declining in many regions, the western Pacific has seen increasing numbers since December.

China banned most people from leaving the coronavirus-hit northeastern province and mobilized military reservists on Monday as the fast-spreading “stealth omicron” version of the country’s biggest outbreak since the start of the pandemic two years ago. Authorities also cordoned off the southern city. That of Shenzhen, which has 17.5 million people and is a major tech and finance hub that borders Hong Kong – has recently reported some of the highest COVID-19 death rates.