The number of weekly deaths caused by COVID-19 worldwide is rising again, a “worrying sign” after a six-week decline, a coronavirus expert from the World Health Organization said on Monday.
Maria van Kerkhove, technical director of the response to COVID-19 at the WHO, pointed out that the increase in deaths took place after five consecutive weeks, with an increase in confirmed cases worldwide. He said the number of reported infections had increased in four of the six WHO regions, although there were significant variations in each region.
“In the last week, cases have increased by 8%,” Van Kerkhove told reporters. “In Europe, this is 12%, and more countries are the cause.”
The increase is due in part to the spread of a variant that was first detected in the UK and is currently circulating in several countries, including Eastern Europe, he said.
Southeast Asia saw a weekly increase in confirmed cases of 49%, while the WHO Western Pacific region reported a 29% increase, partly due to higher infections in the Philippines, Van Kerkhove said. The Eastern Mediterranean region increased by 8%, while infections decreased in Africa and America.
“I want to mention that it’s been about six weeks since we’ve seen a drop in deaths,” Van Kerkhove said. “And in the last week, we have started to see a small increase in deaths worldwide. It was to be expected due to the increase in the number of cases. But it is also a worrying sign. “