The number of people killed by the coronavirus surged by more than 40 per cent last week, likely due to changes in how Covid-19 deaths were reported across the Americas and by newly adjusted figures from India, according to a World Health Organisation report.

In its latest weekly report on the pandemic, the UN health agency said the number of new coronavirus cases fell everywhere, including in WHO's Western Pacific region, where they had been rising since December, reports AP.

About 10 million new Covid-19 infections and more than 45,000 deaths were reported worldwide over the past week, following a 23pc drop in fatalities the week before.

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