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Even in major European countries where Omicron mutation is widespread, the number of new coronavirus cases is breaking new records every day. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that although the number of confirmed cases increased, the death rate was falling in various places.



Correspondent Kang Cheong-wan.



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Yesterday (4th), the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK was 218,724.



This is the first time that the daily number of confirmed cases has exceeded 200,000.



In France, it is predicted that the number of new cases per day will reach 300,000.



[Olivier Verand/France Minister of Health: Omicron mutation is spreading very quickly. A new response and decision are now required.]



In Sweden, where both the royal couple tested positive, as well as Italy and Greece, the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded a record high.



In Germany, where there were relatively few new infections, the number of confirmed cases per day exceeded 30,000, and the number tripled in a week.



Although the number of confirmed cases around the world is rapidly increasing due to the spread of Omicron mutation, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the so-called 'case-death decoupling' phenomenon is being confirmed, in which the number of deaths does not increase that much.



He also explained that there is growing evidence that Omicron's symptoms are relatively milder than those of the previous mutation.



[Abdi Mahamud/WHO Corona 19 Emergency Management Support Team: More and more studies are finding that Omicron mutation mainly causes upper respiratory tract infections, while other mutations can cause severe pneumonia.]



Among these, the world's first In Israel, which started the fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine for those aged 60 and over, a test result was announced that showed that the number of antibodies increased fivefold after the fourth dose.