100 Million Confirmed Cases Worldwide in One Week... Twice the Highest Record Ever

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Due to the spread of the Omicron variant, 10 million people worldwide were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past week.

Bloomberg News reported on the 3rd (local time) that this figure is nearly double the previous record of 5.7 million set at the end of April last year.

In the United States and Europe, where the Omicron variant has become dominant, the number of infections is rising sharply. In the U.S., the average daily new cases over the past week exceeded 400,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, and countries like France and Italy are breaking their all-time records day after day.

Bloomberg News stated, "Although it has been two years since the virus emerged and over a year since vaccinations began, the surge in cases has caused disruptions during the year-end and New Year holiday period."

However, the number of deaths continues to decline, reaching the lowest level in over a year. Analysts suggest that the scale of deaths this year can be forecasted based on developments in the coming weeks.

Bloomberg News added, "Initial claims that the Omicron variant is less fatal than other variants require more data to be supported."

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