WHO "Last week, only the Western Pacific saw an increase in new COVID-19 cases... South Korea, 80%↑"

On the 22nd, when 99,573 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens who visited the temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza were waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] While the number of new COVID-19 cases worldwide decreased last week, the Western Pacific region, including South Korea, saw a sharp increase.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) weekly epidemiological report on the 23rd (Korean time), from the 14th to the 20th, the number of new COVID-19 cases worldwide was 12,793,962, a 21% decrease compared to the previous week. Most regions also saw a decline, but only the Western Pacific region experienced a surge.

New cases decreased compared to the previous week in the Eastern Mediterranean (-34%), the Americas (-29%), Europe (-26%), Africa (-22%), and Southeast Asia (-17%). However, the Western Pacific region increased by 29%, making it the only region with a rise in new cases during the same period.

In particular, South Korea reported 612,195 cases during this period, an 80% increase from the previous week. The cumulative number of confirmed cases worldwide was recorded at 422,188,754 as of the 20th.

New deaths last week totaled 67,519, an 8% decrease compared to the previous week. By region, new deaths decreased in Southeast Asia (-37%), the Americas (-9%), Europe (-5%), and the Eastern Mediterranean (-4%), while they increased in the Western Pacific (21%) and Africa (20%).

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