The global COVID-19 total has passed the 400 million mark early into the third year of the pandemic, with cases last week declining in the world's fourth and biggest surge, fueled by the more transmissible Omicron variant.
However, deaths—known to be a lagging indicator—continue to rise, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its latest weekly update on the pandemic.
Dramatic jump in Middle East
Cases declined 17% last week compared with the week before, with the world adding 19 million new cases. The only part of the world where cases are still rising is the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region, where the biggest jumps were reported by Iran, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territory.
At a briefing today, the head of the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region office, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, MD, PhD, said cases in the region have dramatically jumped over the past 6 weeks, with deaths rising over the past 3 weeks.
He added that the rise in deaths is lower than in previous waves and that vaccines are providing protection against severe illness and death. About 35% of people in the region are fully vaccinated, but coverage varies widely among countries, ranging from 1% to 94%.
"Once again, inequity is a hallmark of this pandemic," he said. "And while vaccines remain a critical tool, our success requires a comprehensive approach with governments and communities at the heart of the response."
The world's rise in deaths—up 7% last week—was driven mainly by increases in Southeast Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions, with levels holding steady in other parts of the world.
Japan restrictions, ACT Accelerator, global pandemic agreement
- Japan today announced that it would extend COVID-19 restrictions in Tokyo and 12 prefectures for 3 more weeks to battle its Omicron surge, which has led to record cases and deaths, according to Reuters.
- World leaders today launched a campaign to address a $16 billion funding gap for the ACT Accelerator, an effort led by the WHO and its partners to develop and more equitably shared COVID-19 tools, including tests, treatments, and vaccines. The push also includes $6.8 billion to help countries take steps to end the pandemic, such as further rollout of vaccines and testing.
- The European Union is pressing a global agreement to prevent a new pandemic, with steps such as banning wildlife markets and countries receiving new incentives for reporting new viruses or variants, according to Reuters. Negotiators began meeting today, with a preliminary agreement expected in August.
- The global today rose to 402,358,417 cases, and 5,771,604 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins dashboard.
