Coronavirus pandemic slows down across world

EU regulator authorises AstraZeneca for all adults; Canada to quarantine travellers, suspend flights from south

LONDON

Emergency services deal with an incident after a fire broke out at Napier Barracks where asylum seekers are housed in Folkestone, southern England. Associated Press

The COVID-19 pandemic slowed down in every region of the world over the past week.

The pace of the pandemic slackened for the second week in a row, with 11 percent fewer new cases per day, or 564,300, compared to the previous week, according to an AFP tally up to Thursday.

The pandemic had decelerated to a similar degree the previous week, except in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is now having a let-up after several weeks of higher cases.

The slowdown was noted in every region of the world, with 18 percent fewer cases in Africa, 16 percent fewer in the United States and Canada, 10 percent fewer in Europe, eight percent fewer in Latin America and the Caribbean, a decline of seven percent in the Middle East and a drop of five percent in Asia.

Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.