The number of Covid-19 cases confirmed worldwide in the past seven days increased to 4.3 million from 4.1 million of the previous week.
The case count rose to levels observed in mid-May 2021. However, the geography of the disease differs. This spring, South America accounted for the majority of all cases. Now, North America and several Asian nations bear the brunt. At the same time, Europe managed to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.
Almost 69,000 patients died in the past week, up 6,000 from the previous seven-day period. For about three consecutive weeks, weekly fatalities crossed 60,000, compared to less than 50,000 deaths registered weekly in June and the first half of July.
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The situation in North America worsened noticeably in the past weeks. The US, which reported less than 20,000 cases daily a month ago, now detects about 120,000. The death rate is also soaring, having grown from 400 to 700 a day.
Also, yet another wave of Covid-19 infection gripped many Asian countries. For example, Iran is registering about 35,000 cases daily.
In Turkey, daily cases have been crossing 20,000 for the past seven days, reaching levels observed in early May. The infection is also spreading rapidly in Iraq, where about 13,000 people are diagnosed with Covid-19 daily.
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The pandemic is in full swing in other parts of Asia as well, such as Malaysia and Bangladesh.
The infection wave in Indonesia has started to subside. The country registered about 35,000 Covid-19 cases daily in the first week of August, compared to 50,000 in July. However, the country remains the hardest-hit nation in terms of mortality, reporting about 1,700 Covid-related deaths daily.
Meanwhile, in the majority of European countries, the situation mostly stabilised as new restrictions were introduced and vaccination intensified.
Compared to mid-July, cases in the Netherlands shrunk more than fourfold, and almost halved in the UK.
At the same time, mortality in Europe remains at a minimal level despite a new wave of the pandemic.