GENEVA: The number of new Covid cases globally rose by 20% last week to more than 18 million, marking a slowdown in the surge caused by Omicron, according to the WHO. In its weekly report on the pandemic, the UN agency said the number of new infections increased in every world region except for Africa, where cases fell by nearly a third. The number of deaths globally remained similar to the previous week, at about 45,000. Confirmed cases jumped by about 50% the week before last, and earlier this month, WHO reported the biggest single-week increase in cases of the pandemic.
WHO said in its report issued late on Tuesday that Southeast Asia had the biggest rise in cases last week, with the number of newly infected people spiking by 145%. West Asia saw a 68% weekly rise. The smallest increases were noted in the Americas and Europe, at 17% and 10% respectively. Scientists said there were early signs in the US and Britain that Omicron outbreaks may have peaked and that cases could soon fall off sharply.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, however, said that the highly infectious variant "continues to sweep the world". He said some regions appear to be out of the worst of the latest Omicron wave but warned that "not all nations are out of the woods yet".
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