500,000 daily cases of covid-19 predicted in the US 0:48
(CNN) -
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported globally "appears to be stabilizing" after rising for nearly two months, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
The WHO reported more than 4.5 million new cases and 68,000 new deaths worldwide last week, just a slight increase from the more than 4.4 million cases and 66,000 deaths reported the previous week.
Covid cases rise before back to school in Mexico 3:17
The total number of cumulative cases globally now stands at more than 211 million, and the total number of deaths exceeds 4.4 million, according to the WHO weekly epidemiological update.
The number of new global cases now appears stable, having risen since mid-June, the WHO noted in the report.
The world had previously seen a plateau in global cases in May, according to the WHO, but outbreaks driven in part by the highly communicable delta variant have led to an increase in cases in many countries in the past two months.
advertising
The United States reported the highest number of new cases last week, with 1.02 million, a 15% increase from the previous week, followed by Iran, India, the United Kingdom and Brazil.
The Western Pacific and the Americas saw the largest increase in cases last week, at 20% and 8% respectively.
Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean reported declining infections, while the other regions saw stagnant cases, according to the WHO.
The increase in cases in the Western Pacific region was partly due to the increase in the delta outbreak in Australia.
Over the past week, the country's single-day number of cases has repeatedly hit new highs, surpassing its previous record from August last year.
FDA Gives Full Approval to Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine, Opening Door to More Vaccination Orders
Infections are also on the rise in New Zealand, despite the country imposing a nationwide lockdown after confirming just one case of locally transmitted coronavirus last week.
On Wednesday, it reported 62 new cases, bringing the total number of cases from the ongoing outbreak to 210.
In recent days, Australian and New Zealand officials have suggested a shift in approach to treating COVID-19, from trying to eradicate the virus to eventually learning how to live with it.
In an opinion piece published in Australian media on Sunday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison hinted at an end to the country's zero covid-19 restrictions, saying the closures "are sadly necessary for now" but "won't be needed for much longer. weather".
He said the Australian government intended to shift its focus from reducing the number of cases to examining how many people became seriously ill from COVID-19 and needed hospitalization.
USA: Increase in hospitalization of children due to covid-19 1:00
On Monday, New Zealand's Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told public broadcaster TVNZ that the delta variant has raised questions about the long-term viability of the country's coronavirus elimination strategy.
"It means that all of our existing protections are starting to look less adequate and less robust. As a result, we are looking very closely at what else we can do. But it raises some very important questions about the long-term future of our plans," he said.
In its weekly report, the WHO noted that the emergence of worrisome variants of the new coronavirus, including the highly transmissible delta variant, has highlighted the need for increased vaccination, as well as the importance of maintaining public health and social measures.
He cited a modeling study in England showing that a delay in lifting these safety measures reduced the peak of daily hospitalizations by almost three times.
"Therefore, relaxation of social and public health measures must be carefully balanced with levels of vaccination coverage and the circulation of variants of concern," the WHO wrote.
who
