Coronavirus cases have risen globally for the seventh straight week — a sign that the pandemic is far from over as mutations of the virus gain traction in many countries, the World Health Organization warns.
A WHO report said more than 4.5 million new cases were reported in the week ending on April 11, with the U.S., India, Brazil, Turkey and France leading the way, according to CNN.
The WHO report also shows 76,000 deaths in that period, a 7% increase in coronavirus deaths from the previous week and the fourth straight week of increases, CNN reported.
Several newer, more contagious coronavirus strains have fueled spikes in cases worldwide, including a variant first discovered in the U.K. that has now been found in 132 countries. Another variant first identified in South Africa has been found in 82 countries and one first discovered in Brazil has been found in 52 nations, WHO reported.
As of Wednesday, approximately 138 million coronavirus cases and 3 million related deaths have been reported globally, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. The U.S. overwhelmingly leads in both categories with roughly 31.4 million cases and 564,000 deaths.