The World Health Organization says Covid-19 deaths are accelerating worldwide

(CNN) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Covid-19 infections are rising at an alarming rate for eight consecutive weeks, as the virus spreads relentlessly across hotspots around the world.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said during a press conference in Geneva on Monday that more than 5.2 million new cases were recorded last week, the largest number in one week since the start of the outbreak.

He said deaths also rose for the fifth week in a row and the epidemic Over 3 million people have been officially killed.

Tedros warned of an accelerating pace of the epidemic, even as some countries promoted their improved vaccination programs.

Tedros said: “It took nine months to reach a million deaths, four months to reach two million people and three months to reach 3 million deaths.” “Large numbers can numb us, but each of these deaths is a tragedy for families, communities and nations.”

As more elderly or vulnerable people receive more and more fully and some economies open up, the WHO director-general has suggested that most of the virus’s spread could transmit to younger adults. Tedros told reporters that injuries and hospitalizations among people between the ages of 25 and 59 were “increasing at an alarming rate”, possibly due to highly contagious variants and increased social mixing among young people.

Doctors have already reported fears of more young people contracting COVID-19 in some hotspots, including Brazil, where New variable It has resulted in a devastating increase in hospitalizations and deaths.

Despite the increase in vaccinations, covid-19 variants are causing concern

The severe warning from the World Health Organization is a reminder of the state of the pandemic, which has yet to dissipate despite varying vaccines launched around the world.

India is experiencing a terrible second wave of the virus, and a large portion of the world’s infections are occurring there. The country has reported more than 200,000 new cases each of the past six days, and nearly 1.5 million in the past week, and crowded hospitals are shifting patients away from combating the spread of the disease.

Among the many active cases in India is former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is in stable condition in hospital after contracting COVID-19.

With more than 15 million infections, the country is now second only to the United States in the number of global cases. The United States has reported nearly 32 million infections.

England added India to the travel ban list on Monday and Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled a scheduled trip there, but the political campaign continues despite the difficult situation.

Narendra Modi’s ruling party said it would hold “small public rallies” with a maximum of 500 people in West Bengal, one of five states where the state’s elections are held, according to a party statement released on Monday.

Much of Asia is also dealing with the increase in cases. The sudden rise in Thailand has dampened hopes of welcoming more tourists there, and hospitality places have been identified as the cause of the recent outbreak.

In the United States, where millions of people are vaccinated every day, cases and hospitalizations have skyrocketed in the past month. Experts are citing coronavirus variants, including the most contagious B.1,1.7 strain that recently fueled another wave in Michigan, and the increasingly widespread feeling of epidemic fatigue as contributing factors.

Meanwhile, in Europe, there are some signs of the third wave of infections stabilizing on the continent, and the spread of the intermittent vaccine across the European Union is starting to accelerate.

But skepticism about vaccines and the continuing effects of pre-vaccine concerns remain evident. A comprehensive vaccination center in the southern French city of Nice was forced to close early over the weekend after only 58 people attended to receive 4,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which may be linked to a very small number of rare cases of blood clots, a regional police spokesperson said. For CNN.

European regulators are facing another decision regarding the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was suspended by US authorities after some cases of thrombosis were reported. A decision by the European Medicines Agency regarding the vaccine is expected on Tuesday.

CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Christina Maxores and Saskia Vandorne contributed to the report.