Lowest weekly COVID-19 deaths since October registered globally: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said the number of coronavirus cases ticked up worldwide last week even as the weekly count of COVID-19 deaths dropped to the lowest level since October. The UN health agency, in its latest weekly epidemiological report on the pandemic, also said that its 53-country European region has reported a sharp increase of 30% in cases last week.
2.6 million new COVID-19 cases were reported last week
Meanwhile, the WHO said that last week, Africa registered a 23% rise in mortality from COVID-19 on the previous week. All WHO regions except the Americas—among the hardest-hit regions—and Southeast Asia posted an increase in deaths over the last week, the agency said in a statement. More than 2.6 million new COVID-19 cases were reported between June 28 and July 4.
The cases reported were mostly from Brazil and India
Meanwhile, the tally of deaths registered over the last week declined 7% to 54,000, the WHO said. That was the lowest weekly figure since October. The agency also said most new cases were reported in Brazil and India—even though weekly case counts in these two countries were declining—as well as Colombia, followed by Indonesia and Britain, which each tallied a weekly increase in cases.
India's tally reaches 3.06 crore; 4.04 lakh dead
India on Wednesday reported more than 43,000 COVID-19 cases, a day after witnessing the lowest single-day spike in nearly four months. According to the Union Health Ministry, until Wednesday morning, India reported a total of 3,06,63,665 COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, the death toll has reached 4,04,211. In the past 24 hours alone, India recorded 43,733 new infections, 47,240 more discharges, and 930 fresh fatalities.
