WHO says expects global COVID deaths to top 100,000 a week

Global deaths from COVID-19 are expected to top 100,000 per week "very soon", from more than 93,000 reported last week, the World Health Organization's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said on Monday.

In an epidemiological update provided to the WHO's exective board meeting, he added that the Americas region accounted for about 47 percent of current deaths. In Europe, cases and deaths are stabilising but at a high level, he said.

"Currently our epidemiological situation is dynamic and uneven, it's futher complicated by variants," he told the board.