coronavirus infections inched upward across Europe, prompted by the more infectious BA.2 subvariant of omicron and the relaxation of nearly all public health measures.
WHO Europe chief Dr Hans Kluge said restrictions in numerous countries across the continent had been lifted “brutally - from too much to too few," noting that in recent days, cases were rising significantly in the UK, France, Italy and Germany.
The number of fresh Covid-19 cases globally increased by 7% in the last week, driven by rising infections in the Western Pacific, even as reported deaths from coronavirus fell, the WHO said.
There were over 12 million new weekly cases and just under 33,000 deaths, a 23% decline in mortality, as per the UN health agency’s report on the pandemic issued late Tuesday.