China Records First COVID Deaths Since January 2021 As Global Daily Cases Witness 12% Rise

China has officially reported its first COVID deaths since January 2021 as the omicron variant continued its outspread across the nation. Both the deaths were reported in Jilin on March 18, as per the National Health Commission statement. Deaths related to the novel virus plunged by a fifth on the global stage despite the pandemic's continued resurgence this week.

According to an AFP tally quoted by Hindustan Times, the average number of daily infections increased by 12 per cent globally over the week to 1.8 million, with Western nations seeing a rebound. Furthermore, coronavirus cases in France went up by 35 per cent this week, while both Italy and the UK saw a 42 per cent surge each as well.

COVID Cases Up By 12% Globally

Mentioning the recognisable spike in COVID cases, a World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesperson on March 18 stated that the end of this global pandemic was still a long way off. Just a few days after Bloomberg reported that WHO was conferring on when and how to call an end to the global coronavirus crisis, the UN health agency stated that the ongoing pandemic was "far from over".

Earlier on Friday, the UK health security agency announced that the daily COVID tally could be going up each day as the estimated range of England's COVID reproduction "R" number is between 1.1 and 1.4. This also marks a rise R number as the previous week's range was 0.8 to 1.1. An R number between 1.1 and 1.4 indicates ten people infected with the novel virus will, on average, infect 11 to 14 other individuals.

As Canada kickstarts to lift coronavirus restrictions, the nation's chief public health officer demanded more people to get their booster doses. Theresa Tam told a press briefing that Canada's policies against the coronavirus might soon switch from "an emphasis on requirements to recommendations", turning it significantly crucial for more citizens, especially the elderly, to get booster shots.

"We're in a period of uncertainty where the virus is still undergoing evolution, so getting up to date with vaccines and wearing a mask is really a good idea," Tam had stated.

China Fights Worst COVID Outbreak Since 2020

China has begun seeking an exit from its coronavirus prevention strategy even as authorities put numerous cities under lockdown in what is being termed as the worst virus outbreak in two years.

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