COVID-19 infections drop by half across world in January

Over the past month, the number of new cases decreased by 24% in the US and Canada, by 20% in Africa, 18% in Asia, 15% in Europe, 10% in Latin America and the Caribbean and by 2% in Mideast

PARIS

The rate of new COVID-19 infections has slowed by nearly half over the past month, according to a specialised AFP database, with the number of new cases dropping again this week.

Here is the state of play worldwide:

44% less: Over the past month, the number of new cases around the world has dropped by 44.5 per cent, the biggest and most sustained plunge since the pandemic started, according to a tally.

The number of new COVID-19 cases continued the fall last week, with 412,700 recorded on average a day.

That contrasts with the record of 743,000 new daily cases recorded in the week of Jan.5 to 11. New infections now stand at their lowest level since October.

Epidemiologist Antoine Flahault, director of the University of Geneva’s Global Health Institute, said “more or less everywhere in the world there has been a relative decline in the epidemic.”

But he told reporters there was a risk of a rebound if governments repeat “past mistakes” pointing to the consequences of liting lockdowns too early last summer in Europe.