Global Covid-19 cases decline for fourth straight week

New Covid-19 cases worldwide fell for the fourth week in a row, and the number of deaths from the disease decreased for the second straight week, the World Health Organization said in its weekly epidemiological update.

WHO said more than 3.1 million new cases of Covid-19 were reported last week, which is a 17% decline from the previous week.

This is the lowest number of cases worldwide since the last week of October, about 15 weeks ago.

The United States accounted for the highest number of new Covid-19 cases, with 871,365. 

However, this figure is a 19% decline in cases from the previous week. Brazil, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom were also among the nations reporting the highest number of new cases worldwide, WHO noted. 

Out of all the regions, Africa saw the greatest decline in cases (22%), compared to WHO's previous week update, while the Eastern Mediterranean saw the smallest (2%).

The number of new deaths reported globally went down for the second week in a row, with 88,000 new fatalities reported last week, a 10% drop compared to the previous week. 

Overall, new cases in Latin America accounted for more than half of all new cases worldwide, with more than 1.5 million new cases and over 45,000 new deaths.

Globally, there have been at least 105.4 million Covid-19 cases and 2.3 million deaths since the start of the pandemic.

WHO OKs AstraZeneca jabs

The AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine can be used for people aged over 65, and where coronavirus variants of concern are circulating, WHO experts said on Wednesday, soothing fears about the jab.

The World Health Organization's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (Sage) issued interim recommendations for when and how to use the two-shot vaccine, which has yet to receive WHO emergency use authorization.

Malaysia offers jabs to foreigners, migrants

Malaysia will extend its free Covid-19 vaccination program to all foreigners residing in the country, including students, refugees and undocumented migrants, the government said yesterday.

The Southeast Asian country is expected to begin its vaccine rollout at the end of this month, aiming to cover at least 80% of its 32 million populations within a year.

UK variant 'to sweep the world'

The coronavirus variant first found in the British region of Kent is a concern because it could undermine the protection given by vaccines against developing Covid-19, the head of the UK's genetic surveillance program said.

She also said the variant was dominant in the country and was likely "to sweep the world, in all probability."

MidEast deaths top 100,000 

More than 100,000 people have died in the Middle East from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic in December 2019, according to an AFP tally.

155 million given shots 

More than 155.7 million vaccine doses have been given in 91 countries or territories around the world, according to an AFP tally from official sources yesterday at 9pm.

Ukraine bans Russian jabs 

Ukraine bans vaccines produced by its bitter rival Russia despite struggling to launch a vaccination campaign.