WHO sees global increase in COVID mortality

The number of COVID cases globally is growing for the fifth consecutive week, the rise in deaths related to the virus is also a cause for concern, technical lead of COVID-19 response and the head of emerging diseases and zoonosis unit at WHO Maria Van Kerkhove said at a briefing, Report informs referring to CNBC.

“Most regions of the globe are seeing an increase in new COVID cases as highly contagious variants continue to spread. New cases worldwide increased by 8 percent over the last week, the fifth week in a row that the WHO has seen an increase in transmission,” she said.

Cases in Europe, where the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant is rapidly spreading, increased by 12 percent, Van Kerkhove said. The WHO has also seen a 49 percent increase in cases in the Southeast Asia region, an 8% increase in the Eastern Mediterranean region and a 29 percent increase in the Western Pacific region, driven by an increase in infections in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, she said.

The Americas and Africa saw a “slight decline,” Van Kerkhove said, but she said the case numbers overall are “worrying.”

“There is pressure to open up in many of these countries, and there are difficulties in people and individuals and communities to comply with proven control measures,” she said, adding that there has been a “slight increase” in deaths across the world. “We’re also seeing that vaccination distribution is uneven and inequitable.”

Van Kerkhove urged the public to continue to practice safety measures, including social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and avoiding crowded spaces. She also urged world leaders to prioritize vaccinating individuals most at risk.