Covid-19 deaths increase, reversing a five-week downward trend: WHO

According to the World Health Organization, while global weekly coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases have continued to fall since the high in January this year, the number of linked fatalities climbed again last week, reversing a five-week trend. According to the UN health agency's monthly epidemiological report, there were over 8,700 deaths globally this week, up 4 per cent from the previous week. More than 535 million verified Covid cases had been reported worldwide, with over 6.3 million deaths.

"These developments should be viewed with caution," the research stated, "since numerous nations have been gradually modifying COVID-19 testing procedures, resulting in lower total numbers of tests performed and, as a result, lower numbers of cases diagnosed."

The Americas and the Western Pacific saw a 21 per cent and 17 per cent increase in mortality among the WHO's six areas. In terms of Covid-related deaths, the United States, Brazil, and Canada were among the worst-affected countries in the Americas. China, Australia, and Japan reported the highest numbers of new deaths in the West Pacific.

The United States had the most weekly deaths, followed by China, Brazil, Russia, and Italy at the country level. However, the largest increase in deaths was observed in Brazil (989 new deaths; +52 per cent), while Russia (500 new deaths; -12 per cent) saw a drop in deaths from the previous week. With 2,376 deaths, the United States saw a 32 per cent increase in weekly mortality, followed by China with 1,201 deaths and a 32 per cent increase, and Italy with 443 deaths and a 17 per cent increase.

The United States recorded the newest instances each week (743,723), followed by China (501,146), Germany (281,706 new cases), Brazil (279,862 new cases), and Australia (279,862 new cases) (194,158). In the other four regions, decreasing trends were noted.
 

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• Covid-19 cases
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• World Health Organization
• global weekly coronavirus disease