GENEVA December 16th (XINHUA) – The African region reported more than 167,000 new cases last week, up to 111% compared with the previous week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday in its latest epidemiological bulletin.
According to the Geneva-based UN agency, marked increases were seen in 67% of countries in the region, with the majority (91%) reporting increases of 25% or more compared to the previous week.
South Africa reported the highest number of new cases on the continent, with more than 109,000 new cases last week, followed by Zimbabwe (26,479 new cases) and Mauritius (6,415 new cases), the WHO noted in a press release.
At the same time, the region reported just under 500 new deaths, a similar number to the previous week. “Globally, the weekly incidence of cases and deaths has declined over the past week (6-12 December 2021), with respective declines of 5% and 10% compared to the previous week,” WHO added.
As of December 14, 2021, the Omicron variant has been confirmed in 77 countries, the WHO continues to say.