WHO "Africa New Cases Surge... 111% Increase Compared to Previous Week"

Reduced Effectiveness of Existing Vaccines Against Omicron Infection

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] The World Health Organization (WHO) announced last week that new COVID-19 cases surged in Africa.

According to WHO's weekly epidemiological report on the 15th (local time), 167,682 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Africa from the 6th to the 12th. This represents a 111% increase compared to the previous week, contrasting with decreases in new cases in most other regions.

During this period, new cases decreased by 10% each in the Americas and Southeast Asia, and by 7% and 4% respectively in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean region. However, the Western Pacific region saw a 7% increase.

Globally, 4,000,817 new cases were reported, marking a 5% decrease compared to the previous week.

Last week, new deaths numbered 46,961, a 10% decrease from the previous week. By region, Southeast Asia (-50%) recorded the largest decline, followed by the Americas (-14%), Europe (-3%), Eastern Mediterranean (-3%), and Africa (-1%). Only the Western Pacific region (4%) experienced an increase in new deaths compared to the previous week.

WHO stated, "Regarding infection and transmission of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, the effectiveness of existing vaccines appears to be reduced," but added, "This is based on preliminary data and more information is needed." They further noted, "More data is also required to determine whether vaccines prevent severe illness and death from COVID-19."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.