GENEVA (AP) – More than 4 million new COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide in the past week, driven primarily by spikes in the Middle East and Asia, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday.
The UN health agency said infections have been on the rise for more than a month, although the global death toll fell by 8%.
In the Middle East and Asia, however, deaths increased by more than a third. In the past week, the United States, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Iran reported the highest number of coronavirus cases. More than 130 countries have reported cases of the delta variant, which is more contagious and was first identified in India.
After nearly a month of increasing cases, the WHO said the European region reported a 9% drop in COVID-19 cases, highlighting declines in Britain and Spain.
Last month, the UK relaxed almost all current restrictions despite criticism that this would lead to another deadly wave of infections. Almost 60% of the British population is fully immunized against the disease.
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