GENEVA – The UK coronavirus variant has been detected in at least 60 countries, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, 10 more than a week ago.
The South African strain, which like the UK one is believed to be more infectious, has now been reported in 23 countries and territories, the WHO said.
It added that the number of new deaths climbed to a record high of 93,000 over the previous seven days, with 4.7 million new cases reported over the same period.
The arrival of mass vaccination campaigns in the US and Europe had brought hope that the end of the pandemic was in sight; the European Union said Tuesday it was aiming to inoculate 70 percent of its adult population before the end of August. (AFP)
