Global coronavirus surge will lead to mortality spike, WHO warns

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The rising number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. and abroad sparked a stern warning from the World Health Organization (WHO) this week: As cases rise, mortality rates will too. 

“Mortality increases always lag behind increasing cases by a couple of weeks,” said WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan during a social media event, according to Reuters. “We are still losing approximately 5,000 people a day...so we shouldn’t be complacent that death rates are coming down.” 

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In Europe, new daily COVID-19 cases are around 100,000, according to the outlet, with some 20,000 infections reported in Britain. In the U.S., coronavirus cases are again surging, with the country heading toward a third spike following a lull growth in later summer, reported the New York Times.

Additionally, just last week, the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose by 11%, with Midwest states hit the hardest,  according to a new analysis. The report also found that 29 out of 50 states have seen cases rise for a least two weeks in a row. 

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As of Thursday morning, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 38,537,804 people across 188 countries and territories, resulting in at least 1,092,641 deaths. In the U.S., all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, tallying more than 7,916,534 illnesses and at least 216,903 deaths.

Fox News’s Alexandria Hein, Kayla Rivas, and David Aaro contributed to this report.