WHO: Europe the only region with rise in COVID-19 last week
Associated PressLONDON — The World Health Organization said there was a 7% rise in new coronavirus cases across Europe last week, the only region in the world where cases increased, and said uneven vaccine uptake posed a threat to the continent. In its weekly assessment of the pandemic, the U.N. health agency said there were about 2.7 million new COVID-19 cases and more than 46,000 deaths last week worldwide, similar to the numbers reported the previous week. But for the third consecutive week, coronavirus cases have jumped in Europe, with about 1.3 million new cases. In a statement Wednesday, WHO’s Europe office said 1 billion coronavirus vaccines have now been administered across the continent and described uneven vaccine uptake as “the region’s biggest enemy in the fight against COVID-19.” In the past week, Russia has repeatedly broken new daily records for COVID-19 cases and the number of infections in the U.K. has surged to levels not seen since mid-July.