"During the week of 21 through 27 March 2022, the number of new cases declined again with a 14% decrease as compared to the previous week. On the other hand, during the same period, the number of new weekly deaths has increased by 43%," the WHO said in a weekly epidemiological review released on Tuesday.
According to the report, the change was driven by the modified definition of COVID-related in some countries of the Americas, in particular in Chile and the US, and "retrospective adjustments" in India in South-East Asia.
In total, over 10 million new cases and more than 45,000 deaths were recorded worldwide last week, the WHO said.
According to the organization, as of 29 March, the number of global COVID-19 cases recorded since the beginning of pandemic exceeded 481 million, with more than 6 million deaths.