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The number of new coronavirus cases globally rose by 20 per cent last week to more than 18 million, marking a slowdown in the surge caused by the Omicron variant's spread, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In its weekly report on the pandemic, the UN health agency said the number of new Covid-19 infections increased in every world region except for Africa, where cases fell by nearly a third, reports AP.
The WHO said that the number of deaths globally remained similar to the previous week, at about 45,000.
It added that Southeast Asia had the biggest rise in coronavirus cases last week, with the number of newly infected people spiking by 145pc.
