UK records more than 40,000 daily cases of Covid-19 for first time since January

Deaths from Covid-19 around the world have increased after declining for nine consecutive weeks, the World Health Organization said in its weekly epidemiological report released on Tuesday.

The cumulative number of deaths worldwide now exceeds 4 million.

The African region recorded a 50% increase in the number of deaths compared to last week and the Southeast Asian region a 26% increase. The Americas region reported an 11% drop in the number of reported deaths last week.

Cases are also on the rise, according to the report, with nearly 3 million reported last week. This is a 10% increase from the previous week. The cumulative number of reported cases worldwide now exceeds 186 million. The global incidence of Covid-19 has increased with an average of 400,000 cases reported daily, up from 370,000 last week.

All regions except the Americas, which reported a 3% decline, reported an increase in incidence. The largest increase in incidence – 25% – was reported by the Eastern Mediterranean region, followed by the European region, which saw a 20% increase from the previous week. The Africa region recorded the smallest increase, 5%.

Brazil reported the highest number of new cases, followed by India, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and Colombia. The highest number of new cases per 100,000 population was reported in the British Virgin Islands, followed by Seychelles, Cyprus, Jersey and Fiji.

Cases of the Alpha variant have now been reported in 178 countries, with six new reports last week. One hundred and twenty-three countries have reported the beta variant, three in the past new week. The Gamma variant has been reported in 75 countries, three new last week. The Delta variant has been reported in 111 countries, with 15 new countries reporting cases last week.

WHO notes that as surveillance activities to detect variants are strengthened, the number of countries reporting variants of concern continues to increase and the distribution should be interpreted taking into account the limitations of surveillance.

“Nonetheless, an overall increase in Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant is being reported in all WHO regions,” the report says. “As of July 13, at least 111 countries, territories and areas have reported detection of the Delta variant, and this is expected to continue to increase, becoming the dominant variant globally over the coming months.”