The head of the World Health Organization says more than 5.2 million new cases of coronavirus infection were reported globally last week in the largest weekly rise ever.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Monday that it was the eighth straight week of increase.

Tedros was also concerned about the rising pace of deaths. He said it took nine months to reach one million deaths, four months to reach two million, and then three months to reach three million.

Tedros said infections and hospitalizations are increasing among people aged between 25 and 59. He said highly transmissible variants and increased social mixing may be to blame.

The WHO's technical chief for the coronavirus response, Maria Van Kerkhove, stressed the importance of keeping anti-infection measures in place, including avoiding crowded settings.

She called on governments to "support individuals to work from home, to stay home if necessary so that we could reduce the possibility of the virus to spread."

Source: NHK