After a week of stabilization, global COVID-19 cases are declining again, with downturns in two of four regions that have seen recent upticks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its latest weekly update on the pandemic.Part of the decline came from South Africa, which had experienced a spike involving the more transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants in late April.Cases still rising in Americas, Western PacificGlobal cases declined 3% last week compared to the week before, with deaths down 11% over the same period.
The WHO has repeatedly urged caution in interpreting trends, owing to decreased testing and surveillance in a number of countries.Of more than 3.7 million cases reported to the WHO last week, the five countries with the most cases were the United States, China, Australia, Germany, and Japan.
More than 9,000 people died from their infections, with the United States reporting by far the most (1,957).Cases are still rising in two WHO regions.
In the Americas, the 13% rise was led by increases in the United States and Argentina. Large proportional increases were also reported in a few South American nations and in some Caribbean nations.Cases also continue to rise in the Western Pacific region, with infections up 6%.