WHO: New coronavirus cases worldwide appear to be stabilizing

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday in a weekly assessment revealed that the number of coronavirus cases globally is stabilizing after months of steady increase.

According to The Associated Press, infections are seeming to steady at around 4.5 million cases weekly. Coronavirus cases in the Western Pacific have reportedly increased by 20 percent and cases in the Americas have increased by 8 percent, while the rate of the disease has either dropped or remained the same in other areas of the world.

India, Britain, Iran, Brazil and the U.S. all have reported the highest numbers of new coronavirus cases, the news outlet reported.

The assessment also stated that nearly 68,000 new coronavirus-related deaths were reported globally. Europe and the Americas were the only areas in which deaths had increased by almost 10 percent, the AP noted.

The WHO also referenced recent studies that have shown that vaccines provide protection against severe cases of coronavirus, according to the AP, but pointed to some evidence showing that the vaccine is less effective against delta variant infection.

Research had previously shown that vaccines have been effective in preventing deaths and hospitalizations but not necessarily in preventing transmission, the AP reported.