Number Of New Covid Cases Surged 52 Percent Globally In Past One Month, Says WHO (Photo by CDC on Unsplash)

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the number of new COVID cases increased by 52 percent during the past four-odd weeks. In the latest press release, WHO said that during the 28-day period from November 20 to December 17, 2023, 105 countries reported COVID-19 cases and 50 countries reported COVID-19 deaths.

The WHO, citing the available data, said that the number of reported COVID cases has increased while deaths have decreased during the 28-day period, with over 850,000 new cases and over 3000 new deaths. This shows an increase of 52 percent in cases compared to the period from October 23 to November 19, 2023. “As of 17 December 2023, over 772 million confirmed cases and nearly seven million deaths have been reported globally,” added WHO in its press release.

The agency also noted that over 118,000 new COVID-19 hospitalisations and over 1600 new intensive care unit (ICU) admissions have been registered globally, with an overall increase of 23 percent and 51 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, as per the Union health ministry data updated on Saturday, India saw a single-day rise of 752 coronavirus infections, which is the highest since May 21, 2023. The number of active cases has increased to 3,420. Amid the surge in COVID cases, the Bihar government has directed all districts and hospitals in the state to increase COVID-19 RT-PCR testing. This will be along with random testing of arrivals at Patna, Gaya, and Darbhanga airports.