Globally, new COVID-19 cases rose for a fifth consecutive week, with just over 3.8 million new cases reported in the last week. The number of new deaths increased for the second consecutive week, increasing by 5% compared to last week, with over 64 000 new deaths reported. All regions reported an increase in the number of cases this week, and all regions, except for the African Region, reported an increase in the number of deaths. The European Region and the Region of the Americas continue to account for nearly 80% of all the cases and deaths.
In this edition, special focus updates are provided on:
- COVID-19 and Health and Care Workers (HCWs)
- SARS-CoV-2 variants