The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed on Saturday a worrying 52% spike in global COVID-19 cases over the past month. According to the WHO’s latest epidemiological update, over 850,000 new infections were recorded worldwide between November 20 and December 17.
Despite the alarming rise in cases, there’s a silver lining as the number of new deaths dropped by 8% compared to the previous 28-day period. The recent data shows over 3,000 fatalities in the latest count. As of December 17, the pandemic has resulted in approximately 772 million confirmed cases and nearly seven million deaths globally.
The increase in hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions is also significant. Between November 13 and December 10, there were over 118,000 new hospitalizations and more than 1,600 new ICU admissions. This marks an increase of 23% in hospitalizations and a notable 51% rise in ICU admissions among countries with consistent reporting.