Over the weekend, the global total topped 250 million cases as Delta (B1617.2) variant activity fuels fresh surges in Europe and keeps countries on other continents on an uncertain path heading into winter.
The notable global high mark for infections comes about a week after the world passed 5 million deaths and as the pandemic's 2-year mark approaches.
Grim total as pandemic resurges
At a World Health Organization (WHO) media briefing on Nov 4, the group's COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, said virus activity is rising in places where it shouldn't be—in countries with ample vaccine and tools to fight the pandemic.
She urged world leaders and health officials to channel their grief and anger over the pandemic's grim totals into actions to bring transmission under control and cut severe impacts and deaths.
"The trajectory of the pandemic is in our hands. It has always been in our hands. What happens now and into 2022 is up to us," she said.
In Europe, currently the world's main hot spot, Russia's week-long work stoppage designed to curb virus transmission has ended, but cases are still near record daily highs.
Meanwhile, Germany's 7-day incidence rate climbed to its highest level of the pandemic, according to the latest update from the Robert Koch Institute. Health officials are facing the prospect of postponing some surgeries, and some regions are already transferring patients to cope with increased burden on hospitals from COVID-19 patients.
More global headlines
- Costa Rica on Nov 5 announced mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for children ages 5 and older, one of the first countries to do so, according to Reuters.
- New Zealand today announced the end of COVID-19 restrictions for Auckland, the country's main hot spot that has been in lockdown since the middle of August. So far, about 90% of the eligible population has received at least one vaccine dose, according to the New York Times. The country has moved away from a "zero COVID" policy as it continues to track the outbreak, which recently passed the daily total of 200 cases for the first time.
- The global totals today reached 250,224,441 cases, and 5,054,028 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.
