While the number of new COVID-19 cases is showing a decline globally, the number of countries with new coronavirus mutations detected keeps growing, Report informs, citing the World Health Organization (WHO).
3.1 million new cases were reported last week, a 17% decline compared to the previous week. It is the lowest figure since 26 October (15 weeks ago). Although there are still many countries with increasing numbers of cases, this is encouraging at the global level. The number of new deaths also fell for a second week in a row, with 88 000 recent deaths reported last week, a 10% decline compared to the previous week. All WHO regions reported a decrease in new cases, with five out of six areas reporting more than 10% decline. Europe and the Americas saw the biggest drops in absolute numbers, with a drop of nearly 0.5 million new cases reported last week (a decline of 153,000 and 320,000 new patients reported, respectively). Further deaths also fell in all regions except the Western Pacific, where mortality rates remained similar to the previous week.