'Old normal' still a distant dream? COVID cases, deaths rise globally

Relaxations of mask rules and social distancing norms, low vaccination rate, swift spread of the more contagious Delta variant - these are some of the reasons attributed to the growing number of cases.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 55,000 lives were lost last week, which is a 3% increase from the week before.

The hopes of returning to the "old normal" seems to have got a setback with COVID cases growing across the world. What's worrying furthet is the fact that that after nine straight weeks, the number of COVID deaths also increased last week. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 55,000 lives were lost, which is a 3% increase from the week before. Cases rose 10% last week to nearly 3 million, with the highest numbers of cases recorded in India, Brazil, Indonesia and Britain, WHO said. Several reasons are attributed to this. Relaxations of mask rules and social distancing norms, low vaccination rate, swift spread of the more contagious Delta variant - are some of the reasons behind this. With respect to the Delta variant, WHO said that the strain has now been identified in 111 countries and is expected to become globally dominant in the coming months. Sarah McCool, a professor of public health at Georgia State University, said the combination amounts to a "recipe for a potential tinderbox. "It's important that we recognise that COVID has the potential for explosive outbreaks," warned Dr David Dowdy, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University.