WHO: Europe is only region with increasing COVID deaths

The World Health Organization says coronavirus deaths in Europe rose by 5% in the last week, making it the only region in the world where COVID-19 mortality increased

LONDON -- The World Health Organization says coronavirus deaths in Europe rose by 5% in the last week, making it the only region in the world where COVID-19 mortality increased. The U.N. health agency said confirmed cases jumped 6% jump globally, driven by increases in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

In its weekly report on the pandemic issued late Tuesday, WHO said COVID-19 deaths in all regions other than Europe remained stable or declined, and totaled 50,000 worldwide last week. Of the 3.3 million new infections reported, 2.1 million came from Europe.

It was the seventh consecutive week that COVID-19 cases continued to mount across the 61 countries WHO counts in its European region, which stretches through Russia to central Asia.

While about 60% of people in Western Europe are fully immunized against COVID-19, only about half as many are vaccinated in the eastern part of the continent, where officials struggle to overcome widespread vaccine hesitancy.