WHO: Europe had most COVID-19 cases, deaths over last week

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. health agency says Europe stood out as the only major region worldwide to report an increase in both coronavirus cases and deaths over the last week, with double-digit percentage increases in each. The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that cases in its 53-country European region, which stretches as far east as several former Soviet republics in central Asia, recorded an 18% increase in COVID-19 cases over the last week — a fourth straight weekly increase for the area. In WHO’s weekly epidemiological report on COVID-19, Europe also saw a 14% increase in deaths. That amounted to more than 1.6 million new cases and over 21,000 deaths.