According to the World Health Organization, the number of COVID-19 cases recorded globally last week increased by 11% compared to the previous week, with the largest increase in the Americas. Since October, the increase has gradually increased.

The United Nations health agency said in its weekly epidemiological report released late on Tuesday that from December 20 to 26, the number of newly reported cases worldwide was close to 4.99 million.

Europe accounted for more than half of the total, at 2.84 million, but only an increase of 3% from the previous week. It is also the region with the highest infection rate of all regions, with 304.6 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

According to the WHO, new cases in the Americas have increased by 39% to nearly 1.48 million. The region has the second highest infection rate, with 144.4 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. There were more than 1.18 million cases in the United States alone, an increase of 34%.

The number of new cases reported in Africa increased by 7% to nearly 275,000.

The agency stated that “the overall risk associated with the new variant…omicron is still very high.” It cited “consistent evidence” that it has a growth advantage over the delta variant, which still dominates in parts of the world.

It pointed out that South Africa’s case rate has declined, and early data from that country, the United Kingdom, and Denmark indicate that the use of omicron can reduce the risk of hospitalization. But it said that more data is needed “to understand the clinical signs of severity, including oxygen use, mechanical ventilation and death, as well as the impact of vaccination and/or previous…infection on severity.”

The World Health Organization said the number of newly reported deaths worldwide dropped by 4% to 44,680 last week.