Last week there were 9.5 million confirmed infections of Covid-19, a figure that nearly doubles previous weekly records, while the deaths were 41,000, which represents the fourth consecutive week of decreases in deaths despite the current virulent wave of infections.
Paradoxically America, the continent where the increase in cases was higher (100%), it was also the region where deaths fell the most (18%), while in Europe, with a 65% increase in positives, deaths fell by 6%.
In absolute figures, Europe was the continent with the most registered infections in the week studied (5.3 million) and more deaths (22,000), while in America 3.2 million positives and 10,000 deaths were reported. At the current rate, Europe, with 103 million cases since the start of the pandemic, will soon surpass America (104 million) in confirmed COVID-19 infections.
In Africa, the continent where the omicron variant was first detected, cases only increased 7% last week, the lowest percentage by region, although deaths rose 22% (1,100 in the seven days studied). In the rest of the regions there were decreases in deaths, including South Asia, where deaths fell 7% despite the strong growth of 78% in new infections.
The epidemiological report did not offer data on the presence of the different variants of the coronavirus in new infections, although in some countries it is already reported that the omicron strain is the dominant one. More than 9.3 billion anticovid vaccines have been administered in the world, with which 59% of the world population has received at least one dose, although the percentage drops to 8.8% in the case of low-income countries, most located on the African continent.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
