The global number of new cases reported last week (12-18 July 2021) was over 3.4 million, a 12% increase as compared to the previous week (Figure 1). Globally, COVID-19 weekly case incidence increased with an average of around 490 000 cases reported each day over the past week as compared to 400 000 cases reported daily in the previous week.
Following a steady decline for over two months, the number of weekly deaths reported was similar to the previous week, with almost 57 000 deaths reported. The cumulative number of cases reported globally is now over 190 million and the number of deaths exceeds 4 million. At this rate, it is expected that the cumulative number of cases reported globally could exceed 200 million in the next three weeks. Last week, four Regions (all except the Regions of the Americas and Africa) reported an increase in case incidence.
The Western Pacific Region recorded the largest increase in case incidence as compared to the previous week, followed by the European Region (30% and 21%, respectively) (Table 1). The South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean Regions also recorded increases in case incidence, 16% and 15%, respectively, as compared to the previous week.
The number of deaths increased in the South-East Asia and the Western Pacific Regions by 12% and 10%, respectively, as compared to the previous week. The African, Eastern Mediterranean and European Regions reported similar numbers of deaths as compared to the previous week, whereas the Region of Americas reported a 6% decrease.
The Region of the Americas and the European Region reported the highest weekly case incidence per capita, both reporting 95 new cases per 100 000 population, as well as the highest number of deaths per population over the past week, with 2.2 and 0.8 new deaths per 100 000 population, respectively. The Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia Regions reported 48 and 41 new cases per 100 000 population, respectively.
Despite efforts to extend vaccination coverage, many countries across all six WHO Regions continue to experience surges in COVID-19 cases. Over the past week, the highest numbers of new cases were reported from Indonesia (350 273 new cases; 44% increase), the United Kingdom (296 447 new cases; 41% increase), Brazil (287 610 new cases; 14% decrease), India (268 843 new cases; 8% decrease), and the United States of America (216 433 new cases; 68% increase).
Globally, cases of the Alpha variant have been reported in 180 countries, territories or areas (hereafter countries; six new countries in the past week), while 130 countries (seven new countries) have reported cases of the Beta variant; 78 countries (three new countries) have reported cases of the Gamma variant; and 124 countries (13 new countries) have reported cases of the Delta variant.
Sources:
World Health Organisation (WHO), 20th July 2021
