Global COVID cases drop as pandemic disrupts routine US kids' vaccines
In its weekly snapshot of the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that global cases dropped for the fourth straight week, with illness levels—as well as deaths—down in all regions.In US developments, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show a drop in routine (non-COVID) childhood vaccination rates in kindergarteners, due to COVID-19 disruptions, as the nation's cases inch upward again.Cases approach pre-Omicron levelAbout 5 million cases were reported last week, a drop of 24% compared to the week before, putting the world at the level it was in the middle of December, before the height of the Omicron variant surge, which was the biggest of the pandemic.
The five countries that reported the most cases were South Korea, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.The WHO has urged people to interpret the trends with caution, however, given that countries are stepping down some of their testing strategies, which would likely influence case counts.Countries reported about 18,000 COVID-19 deaths, reflecting a decrease of 12%.
The United States reported the most, followed by Russia, South Korea, Germany, and Italy.Though cases declined in all of the world's regions, a few countries reported increases over the last week.
In Africa, cases were up sharply in Niger, Mozambique, and Zambia. In the Americas, cases were up in Suriname, Haiti, Saint Lucia, and the United States.
United States
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Cases: 46 252 513
Deaths: 750 423
Recovered: 0
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India
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Cases: 34 321 025
Deaths: 459 652
Recovered: 0
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Brazil
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Cases: 21 835 785
Deaths: 608 235
Recovered: 0
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United Kingdom
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Cases: 9 215 683
Deaths: 141 607
Recovered: 0
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Russia
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Cases: 8 494 589
Deaths: 237 619
Recovered: 0
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