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 India accounted for nearly half of the COVID-19 cases reported
worldwide last week, the World Health Organization said on
Wednesday, as the country's coronavirus deaths rose by a record
3,780 during the last 24 hours.
The WHO said in its weekly epidemiological report that India
accounted for 46% of global cases and 25% of global deaths reported
in the past week.
Daily infections in the country rose by 382,315 on Wednesday, health
ministry data showed, the 14th straight day of more than 300,000
cases.
'Human catastrophe' in Nepal
Nepal is being overwhelmed by a COVID-19 surge as India's outbreak
spreads across South Asia, the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies said on Wednesday.
“We need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of
containing this human catastrophe. This virus has no respect for
borders and these variants are running rampant across Asia," said
Alexander Matheou, Asia Pacific director for the Geneva-based agency
representing the global humanitarian network.
Nepal is now recording 57 times as many cases as a month ago, with
44% of tests now coming back positive, the statement said. Nepalese
towns near the Indian border could not cope with the growing number
of people needing treatment, while only 1% of the country's
population was fully vaccinated.
Japan faces longer state of emergency
Japan is considering extending a state of emergency in the capital,
Tokyo, and other major urban areas, sources said on Wednesday, a
move that could cast doubt on the planned Summer Olympics.
Officials were leaning toward an extension of the measures in Tokyo,
Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures beyond May 11 as the country
battles a surge in COVID-19 cases, three sources told Reuters.
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 The government may make an
official decision as early as Friday, one of the
sources told Reuters. New South
Wales reports first case in more than a month
Australia's most populous state reported its first locally acquired
coronavirus infection in more than a month on Wednesday, with health
authorities working to track down the source and the variant
involved.
The first local infection in southeastern New South Wales since
March 31 strengthens prospects for a resumption of social distancing
curbs, many of which had been eased as cases dwindled.
Although Australia has largely eradicated COVID-19, a man in his 50s
with no known links to hotels used to quarantine people who have
arrived from overseas tested positive on Tuesday, the state's health
ministry said in a statement.
COVID scare at G7 meeting
India's entire delegation to the Group of Seven summit in London is
self-isolating after two of its members tested positive for
COVID-19, the British government said on Wednesday.
"The meeting had been enabled by a strict set of COVID protocols,
including daily testing of all delegates," a British official said.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes, Editing by William Maclean)
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