WHO counts 18 million Covid-19 cases last week as Omicron spread slows

The World Health Organization said the number of new coronavirus cases globally rose by 20 per cent last week, marking a slowdown in the surge caused by the Omicron variant's spread.

The number of new coronavirus cases globally rose by 20 per cent last week to more than 18 million, marking a slowdown in the surge caused by the Omicron variant's spread, according to the World Health Organization.

In its weekly report on the pandemic, the UN health agency said the number of new Covid-19 infections increased in every world region except for Africa, where cases fell by nearly a third. The number of deaths globally remained similar to the previous week, at about 45,000.