UN health agency sees virus cases leveling off

The World Health Organisation said the number of new coronavirus cases reported globally appears to be stabilising at about 4.5 million infections after steadily rising for the past two months. In its weekly assessment of the pandemic, the UN health agency said COVID-19 increased by about 20 per cent and 8 per cent in the Western Pacific and in the Americas, while rates of disease either remained the same or dropped in other regions.

The countries with the highest numbers of new cases were the United States, Iran, India, Britain and Brazil.

The assessment released Tuesday says there were about 68,000 new deaths reported globally, with Europe and the Americas registering increases of about 10 per cent.

WHO also noted several recent studies that show licensed vaccines still provide protection against severe coronavirus disease, but that there is some evidence to show the shots are less effective at preventing people from becoming infected with the more contagious delta variant.

Previous research concluded the vaccines are most useful for preventing hospitalisations and deaths, not virus transmission.