This was largely due to rising infections in the Western Pacific and falling deaths from COVID-19.
According to the U.N.’s pandemic report, there were just under 33,000 deaths per week and more than 12,000,000 new cases each week. This represents a 23% drop in mortality.
Since January, confirmed cases of the virus have been steadily declining worldwide, but they rose last week due to the more contagious omicron variant of the virus and its subvariant BA.2, as well as the suspension of COVID-19 protocols across many countries in Europe, North America, and elsewhere.
Omicron is a milder form of coronavirus than the previous versions. Health officials claim that boosters and vaccinations are highly effective in preventing severe diseases.
Coronavirus cases in the Western Pacific are still rising. The region reported a 21% increase last week and continues to rise for weeks. Last week’s figures show that the number of coronavirus cases in Europe has remained stable while it fell elsewhere.
The WHO warned that many infections could be missed due to the absence of widespread testing programs in many countries. New cases should therefore be taken with caution.
On Wednesday, Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO emergency director, stated that although some countries are experiencing an explosive spread of COVID-19 due to the more contagious omicron subvariant BA.2, the virus is still proving less destructive than the previous waves.
He said, “Countries with high vaccination rates are weathering the transmission hurricane.” “We are not seeing this translate into increased pressure on the health system or higher rates hospitalizations and deaths.”
Many countries, including Germany, France, Italy, and France, have eased their COVID-19 public health precautions in recent weeks. However, the numbers continue to rise. The WHO stated that more than 85% virus sequences are shared with one the largest platforms in the world.
British Health Minister Sajid Javid warned last week that there could be an increase in COVID-19 infection rates in the United Kingdom, but that the country is still “in a very strong position” because of its high vaccination rates.
China’s health officials reported this week the first deaths from coronavirus in China in over a year. The country is currently fighting its worst outbreak since it was discovered in Wuhan in the latter part of 2019.
Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous metropolis, is also enmeshed in the deadly COVID-19 wave. The city of 7,000,000 has seen more deaths than mainland China during this pandemic.
Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, stated this week that authorities will relax some of their strict pandemic measures in the event of falling cases after weeks of increasing cases at hospitals and cemeteries.