GENEVA -- The number of new coronavirus cases globally increased by 7% in the past week, driven largely by rising infections in the Western Pacific, even as reported deaths fell, the World Health Organization said.
There were more than 12 million new weekly cases and just under 33,000 deaths, a 23% decline in mortality, according to the U.N. health agency's report on the pandemic issued late Tuesday.
Confirmed cases had been falling steadily worldwide since January but rose again last week, due to the more infectious omicron variant and its subvariant BA.2, in addition to the suspension of covid-19 protocols in numerous countries in Europe, North America and elsewhere.
Health officials have said repeatedly that omicron causes milder disease than previous versions of the coronavirus and that vaccination, including a booster, appears highly protective against severe disease.
The Western Pacific remained the only region in the world where cases are rising, reporting a 21% jump last week amid weeks of increases. According to figures from last week, the number of new infections in Europe remained stable and fell everywhere else.
The WHO cautioned that with many countries dropping widespread testing programs, many infections are likely being missed and new case numbers should be interpreted cautiously.
At a briefing Wednesday, WHO emergencies director Dr. Michael Ryan said that even though some countries are seeing an exponential spread prompted by the more infectious subvariant BA.2, it is proving less devastating than previous waves of the virus.
"Countries that have high rates of vaccinating their vulnerable populations are weathering the transmission storm," he said. "We're not seeing that translate into pressure on the health systems or higher rates of hospitalization and death."
In recent weeks, numerous countries including Britain, France, Italy and Germany have relaxed many public health measures, even as numbers have continued inching upward. More than 85% of virus sequences shared with one of the world's largest platforms are of the BA.2 subvariant, the WHO said.
Last week, British Health Minister Sajid Javid said U.K. residents should brace for a jump in infections but that the country was still "in a very good position" thanks to its high vaccination levels.
Meanwhile, China's health authorities this week reported the first coronavirus deaths in more than a year as the country battles its worst outbreak since the virus was detected in Wuhan in late 2019.
The semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong is entrenched in a deadly wave of covid-19, with the city of 7 million having recorded more deaths than mainland China during the pandemic.
A health worker wearing a protective suit holds a map of sealed control area asks a security guard to open a doorway to a barricaded community which was locked down for health monitoring following the COVID-19 case detected in the area, Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
FILE - Two people wearing masks walk in Regents Park in London, Monday, March 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
A worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant as residents get tested for the coronavirus at a site setup outside the Drum Tower, Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in Beijing, China. A fast-spreading variant known as "stealth omicron" is testing China's zero-tolerance strategy, which had kept the virus at bay since the deadly initial outbreak in the city of Wuhan in early 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Community workers wearing protective suits watch over a masked resident twirling a dragon shaped ribbon near a barricaded coronavirus testing site setup outside the Drum Tower, Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in Beijing, China. A fast-spreading variant known as "stealth omicron" is testing China's zero-tolerance strategy, which had kept the virus at bay since the deadly initial outbreak in the city of Wuhan in early 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)