Global COVID-19 activity jumped 20% last week compared with the week before, amid surges across multiple regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its weekly update on the pandemic.Led by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, a number of countries—ranging from Germany to Brazil—reported new daily record highs.Deaths show much smaller riseThe robust jump last week, however, was smaller than that of the previous week, which saw the world's cases rise 55%.
The WHO said cases last week rose in all regions, except for Africa.The WHO's Southeast Asia region reported the steepest increase, with all countries except Timor-Leste reporting rises.
The Eastern Mediterranean region had the next biggest jump, with all but two countries—Somalia and Libya—reporting rises.The five countries that reported the most cases are the United States, France, India, Italy, and the United Kingdom.In the Americas, cases have at least doubled in 17 countries, with activity accelerating in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia, officials from the WHO's Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said today at a briefing.
Also, hospitalizations are rising in Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.Deaths were up slightly, with 45,543 fatalities reported last week, the WHO said.