The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said that India reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases of any country in the past week.
The organization also said that the 50000 new cases of coronavirus infections reported from the subcontinent have pushed the global COVID-19 tally up by 1 per cent.
“South-East Asia has reported the largest week-on-week increase, largely due to increased case detections in India,” the WHO said.
“India has reported nearly 500,000 new cases in the past seven days, a 9 per cent increase compared to the previous seven days and the highest numbers of new cases globally,” it added.
Overall global new deaths in the past seven days fell by 3 per cent compared to the previous week, the WHO reported, adding that overall new infections around the world rose by 1.8 million.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday said that the countries which are serious about opening up, should take measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We believe there are four essential things that all countries, communities and individuals must focus on to take control. First, prevent amplifying events. COVID-19 spreads very efficiently among clusters of people,” Ghebreyesus said.
“Second, reduce deaths by protecting vulnerable groups, including older people, those with underlying conditions and essential workers,” he added.
“Third, individuals must play their part by taking the measures we know work to protect themselves and others – stay at least one metre away from others, clean your hands regularly, practise respiratory etiquette, and wear a mask,” he added.
Ghebreyesus also said that governments must take tailored actions to find, isolate, test and care for cases, and trace and quarantine contacts.