WHO counts 18 million virus cases last week as omicron slows

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says the number of new coronavirus cases globally rose by 20% last week to more than 18 million, marking a slowdown in the surge caused by the omicron variant. The U.N. health agency reported that the number of new COVID-19 infections increased in every world region except for Africa. The number of deaths globally remained similar to the previous week, at about 45,000. WHO said in a report issued late Tuesday that Southeast Asia had the biggest rise in coronavirus cases last week, with the number of newly infected people spiking by 145%. The smallest increases were noted in the Americas and Europe, at 17% and 10% respectively.