GENEVA – The number of new Covid-19 cases reported worldwide fell by 16% last week to 2.7 million, said the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The number of new deaths reported also fell 10% week-on-week to 81,000, said the United Nations health body in its weekly epidemiological update, using figures up to Sunday.
Five of the six WHO regions of the world registered a double-digit percentage decline in new cases, with only the Eastern Mediterranean showing a rise, of 7%.
New case numbers dropped 20% last week in Africa and the Western Pacific, Europe (18%), the Americas (16%) and Southeast Asia (13%).
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday said the number of fresh infections declined for a fifth consecutive week, dropping by almost half, from more than five million in the week of January 4.
“This shows that simple public health measures work, even in the presence of variants.
“What matters now is how we respond to this trend. The fire is not out, but we have reduced its size. If we stop fighting it on any front, it will come roaring back.”
The coronavirus variant of concern first detected in Britain was reported in 94 countries in the week to Monday, said the UN update, an increase of eight.
Local transmission of the variant, as opposed to imported cases, has been reported in at least 47 countries.
The variant first detected in South Africa was recorded in 46 nations, up by two, with local transmission in at least 12 of these countries.
The Brazilian variant, meanwhile, was detected in 21 countries, up by six, with local transmission in at least two nations.
Covax delivery plans
Covax, the global Covid-19 vaccine procurement and distribution effort that aims to ensure poorer countries are also able to access doses, said its final shipment list for the first deliveries will be issued next week, following WHO’s green light for the AstraZeneca jab.
On Monday, the health body gave its seal of approval to the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine being manufactured in India and South Korea, meaning it can now be shipped out via Covax, giving many countries their first Covid-19 shots.
“Covax anticipates the bulk of the first round of deliveries taking place in March, with some early shipments... occurring in late February,” said the facility co-led by WHO in a statement.
The interim distribution list issued on February 3 breaks down the programme’s initial 337.2 million doses – all, barring 1.2 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses, of which are from AstraZeneca.
Both WHO-approved vaccines require two injected doses.
Some 145 economies participating in Covax are set to receive enough doses to immunise 3.3% of their collective population by mid-2021.
“Deliveries for this first round of allocation will take place on a rolling basis and in tranches,” said Covax. – AFP, February 17, 2021
