Covid-19 deaths and cases rising again globally, WHO says
- Global deaths climbed last week after nine straight weeks of decline
- Argentina joins 10 other countries with death toll of 100,000 or more
Covid-19 deaths and cases are on the rise again globally in a dispiriting setback that is triggering another round of restrictions and dampening hopes for an almost normal summer of fun.
The World Health Organization reported on Wednesday that deaths climbed last week after nine straight weeks of decline. It recorded more than 55,000 lives lost, a 3 per cent increase from the week before.
Cases rose 10 per cent last week to nearly 3 million, with the highest numbers recorded in Brazil, India, Indonesia and Britain, the WHO said.
The reversal has been attributed to low vaccination rates, the relaxation of mask rules and other precautions, and the swift spread of the more-contagious Delta variant, which the WHO said has now been identified in 111 countries and is expected to become globally dominant in the coming months.
Sarah McCool, a professor of public health at Georgia State University, said the combination amounts to a “recipe for a potential tinderbox”.
“It’s important that we recognise that Covid has the potential for explosive outbreaks,’’ warned Dr David Dowdy, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University.