London: The World Health Organisation (WHO) said countries globally have reported more than two 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases last week. It is the shortest time ever for such an exponential increase since the coronavirus pandemic began. The WHO said it is indeed worried about how the coronavirus cases are increasing
In a weekly analysis of COVID-19, WHO said for the second consecutive week, the European region accounted for the biggest proportion of new cases, with more than 1.3 million reported cases or about 46% of the worldwide total. The UN health agency said deaths were also on the rise in Europe, with about a 35% spike since the previous week.
“Although the number of deaths is gradually increasing, the proportion of deaths to cases remains relatively low, compared to the early phase of the pandemic in the spring,” WHO said in a statement. “It is indeed a worrying development.”
The agency also noted that hospitalisations and ICU occupancy due to coronavirus has increased in 21 countries across Europe. It estimated about 18% of COVID-19 patients were hospitalised, with about seven per cent needing ICU support or breathing machines.
Globally, WHO said the countries reporting the highest numbers of cases remain unchanged as for the past three weeks: India, the US, France, Brazil, and the UK each week per 100,000 people.