The World Health Organisation says the coronavirus pandemic has slowed down in the past week although death rates continued to rise, with more than 67,000 new deaths reported.

The UN health agency said in its latest epidemiological update that even though there was a downward trend in the number of cases in Europe, the region still has the biggest proportion of new cases and deaths globally, according to AP.

WHO noted that Africa reported the highest increase in new cases and deaths, driven by South Africa, Algeria and Kenya.

In the past week, WHO said, the number of new cases reported in Europe dropped by about six per cent after a 10pc decline the previous week, suggesting that lockdowns across the continent are effectively slowing transmission. Still, the region accounts for about half of new global deaths.