WHO reports 481% rise in COVID cases in Southeast Asia

The number of COVID cases in a month increased by almost 481% in Southeast Asia and by 144% in the Eastern Mediterranean, the World Health Organization said.

At the same time, the number of new reported cases over the past 28 days (from March 13 to April 9, 2023) has decreased in four of the six regions of the planet: in the African region - by 45%, in the Western Pacific - by 39%, North and South America - by 33%, the European region - by 22%.

At the country level, the most cases of infection over the same period were recorded in the United States (almost 456 thousand), Russia (about 292 thousand), and South Korea (275 thousand).

The WHO emphasized that the global trend in incidence, including fatalities, is declining. According to the organization, 3 million new cases and more than 23,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide over the past 28 days. This is 28 and 30% less compared to the previous 28 days.

At the same time, in Southeast and East Asia, the number of deaths increased by 109 and 138%. The largest number of deaths was registered in India (an increase of 937% to 66,000).

In Russia, 7,892 new cases of COVID infection were registered per day as of April 13, the operational headquarters for combating the virus reported. 1116 people were admitted to hospitals, which is 11.4% less compared to April 12. 37 patients died, 9818 people recovered.