COVID-19 deaths around the world drop 90% since February, says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that COVID-19-related deaths around the world have drastically dropped 90% since February. 

In February, there were approximately 75,000 weekly deaths caused by COVID-19 around the world. Last week, however, the number of deaths related to the virus dropped to 9,400 worldwide, says WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 

“We have come a long way,” Ghebreyesus said. “And this is definitely cause for optimism.”

Additionally, the number of COVID-19 positive cases has decreased in the last several weeks, WHO said. 

Last week, there were 2.1 million new cases worldwide, 15% less than the previous week. The number of deaths also fell 10% compared to the week before.

 In the United States, there were 266,100 new cases reported last week and 2,480 deaths, dropping 20% from the week before. 

The highest number of new covid cases is being seen in Japan and Korea, with 357,400 and 311,200 new positive cases reported. 

However, experts warn that the actual number of positive cases worldwide might be higher given that the number of tests being performed has also declined and surveillance against the virus has also slowed down. 

Despite the decline in COVID-19 related deaths and cases, Ghebreyesus urged governments and individuals to continue to take precautions against the virus. 

“Almost 10,000 deaths a week is 10,000 too many,” he said. 

“Testing and sequencing rates remain low globally,” he added. “Vaccination gaps remain wide, and the continued proliferation of new variants remains concerning.”

The WHO has reported 629 million cases and 6.5 million deaths linked to COVID-19.