New surge of COVID cases across Europe

GENEVA — The number of coronavirus cases has risen in Europe for the fifth consecutive week, making it the only world region where COVID-19 is still increasing, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday.

In its weekly report on the pandemic, the U.N. health agency said new cases jumped by 6 percent in Europe compared with an 18 percent increase the previous week. The weekly number of new infections in other regions either fell or remained about the same, according to the report.

The sharpest drops were seen in the Middle East, where new cases decreased by 12 percent, and in Southeast Asia and Africa, where they fell by 9 percent.

Overall, 3 million new weekly cases were reported globally, the report said. The number of deaths from COVID-19 worldwide rose by 8 percent, driven mainly by Southeast Asia, where deaths spiked by 50 percent.

The coronavirus infection rate was by far the highest in Europe, which reported about 192 new cases per 100,000 people, followed by the Americas, which had about 72 new cases per 100,000.

Several countries in Central and Eastern Europe have seen daily case numbers shoot up in recent weeks. Infections in the Czech Republic soared by 9,902 in one day, the Czech Health Ministry reported Wednesday. That was about 60 percent more than a week earlier and the highest daily increase since March 23, the ministry said.

The country had a 7-day infection rate of 386 people per 100,000, almost double the figure from a week ago. The government has said the virus is spreading mostly among people who are unvaccinated.

In Germany, the national disease control center said that infection rates have risen “rapidly,” with more patients in intensive care and deaths rising above 100 per day.