The number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths have continued to fall globally in the past week, according to the WHO on Wednesday. Still, the Western Pacific reported an increase in coronavirus.
The UN health agency in its latest report on Wednesday said that the past week had seen a 5% drop in new infections, following the declining trned in the past month. Deaths also dropped 8% and have been falling globally for two weeks.
The Western Pacific, however, saw a 46% increase in new cases, with Hong Kong having the highest death rate per 1 million people at 150 deaths per day, according to data from Oxford University.
The more infectious omicron variant overwhelmed Hong Kong, causing mass quarantines and overflowing morgues.
The biggest declines were seen in the Middle east and Africa withcases dropping 46% in the former and 40% in the latter.
The booster immunization programs in many rich countries have been credited with breaking the link between COVID-19 infection and severe disease or death. An expert group from the WHO earlier this week reaffirmed its support of booster doses, contrary to the agency’s report last year on booster shots being unnecesary for healthy people.
Numerous scientific studies have since proven that booster doses of all of the approved vaccines restore waning immunity and reduce serious cases dramatically, aiding the fight against the global spread of the omicron variant.