WHO: New COVID deaths fell 17% last week, but cases rising

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says the number of new coronavirus deaths reported worldwide fell by 17% in the last week even as COVID-19 infections rose. The data reverses a decline in infections that first began in January. In the U.N. health agency’s latest weekly report on the pandemic, WHO said there were more than 11 million new COVID-19 infections last week – about an 8% rise – and 43,000 new deaths. The biggest increase in cases were seen in the Western Pacific and Africa, where infections rose by 29% and 12% respectively. Elsewhere, cases dropped by more than 20% in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Americas.