GENEVA --
The variety of coronavirus instances reported globally has dropped for a second consecutive week and confirmed COVID-19 deaths additionally fell final week, based on a World Well being Group report issued Wednesday.
In its newest pandemic report, WHO mentioned 9 million instances had been reported, a 16% weekly decline, and greater than 26,000 new deaths from COVID-19. The UN well being company mentioned confirmed coronavirus infections had been down in all areas of the world.
Nonetheless, it warned that the reported numbers carry appreciable uncertainty as a result of many international locations have stopped widespread testing for the coronavirus, which means that many instances are possible going undetected.
WHO mentioned it was additionally monitoring an omicron variant that may be a recombination of two variations: BA.1 and BA.2, which was first detected in Britain in January. WHO mentioned early estimates counsel the recombined omicron might be about 10% extra transmissible than earlier mutations, however additional proof is required.
The company has continued to warn international locations to not drop their COVID-19 protocols too rapidly and predicted that future variants might unfold simply if surveillance and testing programs are shelved.
Final week, the U.Ok. mentioned COVID-19 had hit document ranges throughout the nation, with authorities statistics estimating that about 1 in 13 folks had been contaminated. These figures got here on the identical day the British authorities deserted its free testing program.
In the meantime, Chinese language authorities performed extra mass testing this week throughout Shanghai, which stays in lockdown following one other leap in infections; town has recorded greater than 90,000 instances however no deaths through the pandemic.
Regardless of rising public frustration and considerations about financial results, China says it's sticking to its hard-line "zero-tolerance" strategy mandating lockdowns, mass testing and the obligatory isolation of all suspected instances and shut contacts. Following a public uproar, Shanghai authorities mentioned Wednesday they might enable no less than some dad and mom to stick with kids contaminated with COVID-19, making an exception to a coverage of isolating anybody who exams optimistic.
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