Further decline in global COVID cases as deaths stabilize
COVID-19 cases across the globe declined last week for the second week in a row, with illness levels dropping in every region except the Western Pacific, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its weekly pandemic snapshot.The WHO's update also covered the latest information on the BA.2 Omicron subvariant, which it now says makes up about 21% of sequenced global cases.Asia surges intensifyCases were down 19% last week compared to the previous week, and deaths held steady after rising steadily for 5 weeks.
Fatality increases in some regions such as the Western Pacific and Eastern Mediterranean were offset by plateaus or decreases in Europe and Southeast Asia, respectively.The Western Pacific region's rise was led by increases in China, South Korea, Samoa, and Brunei Darussalam.In related developments, a handful of countries in Asia—which are experiencing later Omicron surges—reported record cases in the past day.
For example, Hong Kong's daily cases topped 4,000 for the first time, further stretching the healthcare system and prompting a directive from China's President Xi that the region's overriding mission is to control COVID-19, according to Reuters.Also, South Korea's cases rose above 90,000 for the first time, and Singapore recorded a new daily high of more than 19,000 new cases.
Yesterday, Indonesia reported a record high, with cases topping 57,000.Of the 16 million new cases reported to the WHO last week, Russia reported the most, followed by Germany, the United States, Brazil, and France.Tracking BA.2In its update, the WHO said the prevalence of the BA.2 subvariant is increasing, both in countries where cases are declining and in countries where illnesses are rising.
United States
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Cases: 46 252 513
Deaths: 750 423
Recovered: 0
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India
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Cases: 34 321 025
Deaths: 459 652
Recovered: 0
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Brazil
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Cases: 21 835 785
Deaths: 608 235
Recovered: 0
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United Kingdom
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Cases: 9 215 683
Deaths: 141 607
Recovered: 0
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Russia
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Cases: 8 494 589
Deaths: 237 619
Recovered: 0
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