The coronavirus has continued its progression around the world, with 315,000 new cases on average per day, or 6% more than the previous week, according to an AFP tally yesterday at 1100 GMT.
Once again, the increase is most marked in Europe which recorded 28% more than the previous seven-day period.
The number of new daily cases increased there more than five-fold in three months to 84,400 cases this week, against around 15,000 in early July.
But the rate of infections has risen around the rest of the world too: by 11% in Africa, 6% in the United States and Canada, 3% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2% in the Middle East and 1% in Oceania.
Only in Asia is there an improvement with 7% less cases.
The number of confirmed cases only reflects a fraction of the actual number of infections, as different countries have different counting practices and levels of testing.
Global toll
The pandemic has left at least 1,068,466 people dead around the world since it emerged in China in late December, out of more than 36.8 million confirmed infections. The US remains the country with the heaviest death toll with 217,840, before Brazil 149,034 and India 106,788.
Biggest increases
Nepal is where the pandemic is most on the rise, with an 81% increase to 2,700 new cases per day.
Mexico follows with 71% more (8,000 cases), then the Czech Republic with the same percentage rise (3,800 cases), Poland 70% (2,600), Belgium 68% (2,800), Tunisia 66% (1,200) and Italy 60% (3,000).
Biggest drops
The biggest decrease has been seen for the second week running in Peru, with a drop of 31% to 2,900 new cases per day.
Chile follows at -14%, (1,600 cases), Ecuador -13% (900), Iraq -11% (3,900) and India -10% (74,700).
Most infections
Despite new cases dropping by a tenth, India has still registered the most new infections this week, ahead of the US and Brazil which have 45,700 and 25,900 new daily cases respectively.
While the situation in Brazil is also improving (-4%), it is getting worse in the US, with 5% more.
France follows with 13,500 cases or 17% more, Argentina 13,100, (5%), Britain 12,100 (+40%), Russia 10,700 (+33%) and Spain 10,000, down 6%.
On a per capita basis, when tiny states are excluded, Israel registered the most cases with 423 out of 100,000 inhabitants infected this week, before Montenegro (324) and the Czech Republic (246).
New deaths
India has had the most deaths over the past week (978 per day) ahead of the US (689), Brazil (611), Argentina (346) and Iran (215).
