The number of weekly deaths from COVID-19 worldwide is on the rise again, a “disturbing sign” after a six-week decline, a World Health Organization coronavirus expert said Monday.
Maria van Kerkhove, technical director of the response to COVID-19 at WHO, pointed out that the increase in the number of deaths occurred after five consecutive weeks with an increase in the number of confirmed cases worldwide. He assured that the number of reported infections increased in four of the six WHO regions, although there were significant differences within each region.
“In the past week, the number of cases has increased by 8%,” Van Kerkhove told reporters. “In Europe it is 12%, and several countries are the cause.”
The increase is due in part to the spread of a variant first discovered in Britain and currently circulating in several countries, including Eastern Europe, he said.
Southeast Asia saw a weekly increase in the number of confirmed cases of 49%, while the WHO West Pacific region reported an increase of 29%, partly due to the higher rate of infections in the Philippines, Van Kerkhove said. The Eastern Mediterranean registered an increase of 8%, while infections in Africa and America decreased.
“I want to mention that it was about six weeks ago that we saw a drop in the number of deaths,” said Van Kerkhove. “And in the past week, we started to see a small increase in deaths around the world. It was to be expected because of the increase in the number of cases. But it is also a disturbing sign. “