- The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide topped 250 million.
- Eastern Europe has among the lowest vaccination rates in the region.
- Vaccinations have increased now to cover more than 70% of Japan’s population.
On Monday, the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide topped 250 million, as certain countries in eastern Europe had record outbreaks, despite the Delta variant spike easing and many countries resuming trade and tourism as reported by Reuters.
Global spread
The first 50 million COVID-19 cases, on the other hand, took nearly a year to document.
According to a Reuters study, infection rates are still climbing in 55 of 240 countries, with Russia, Ukraine, and Greece reporting near-record numbers of infections since the pandemic began two years ago.
Eastern Europe has some of the region’s lowest vaccination rates.
According to the data, Europe accounted for more than half of all new illnesses recorded worldwide, with a million new infections reported every four days.
As the country observes record deaths due to the sickness, several Russian regions announced this week that they may impose new restrictions or extend a working shutdown.
Vaccine inequity
Despite substantially higher vaccination rates, the infection rate in Germany surged to its highest level since the outbreak began, and doctors said they would have to postpone planned operations in the coming weeks to cope.
For the first time in more than a year, Japan had no daily deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, according to local media.
Vaccination coverage has now reached more than 70% of Japan’s population.
On Sunday, China, the world’s most populous country, provided around 8.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, increasing the total number of doses given to 2.3 billion, according to figures released on Monday.
Several world leaders have emphasised the importance of improving immunisation programmes, especially in the world’s poorest nations.
At a special conference in June, APEC members, including Russia, China, and the United States, agreed to expand COVID-19 vaccine sharing and manufacture, as well as remove trade barriers for pharmaceuticals.
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Source: Reuters
