Geneva: The number of new Covid cases globally rose 20% last week to more than 18 million, marking a slowdown in a surge caused by Omicron, according to WHO.
In the weekly report on Pandemi, the UN agency said the number of new infections increased in each world region except for Africa, where cases fell almost one third.
The number of deaths globally remains similar to the previous week, around 45,000.
Confirmed cases jumped around 50% of the previous week, and earlier this month, which reported the single largest single increase in the case of a pandemic.
Who said in his report was issued on Tuesday that Southeast Asia had the biggest increase in the case last week, with a number of newly infected people around 145%.
West Asia saw a weekly increase of 68%.
The smallest increase was recorded in America and Europe, 17% and 10% respectively.
Scientists say there are initial signs in the US and the United Kingdom that the Omicron outbreak may have peaked and that the cases can immediately fall sharply.
However, the Head of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that a very contagious variant “continued to swept the world”.
He said some areas seemed to come out of the worst of the latest omicron waves but warned that “not all countries have not come out of the forest”.