WHO says world seeing increased COVID-19 cases across all age groups

GENEVA, April 19 (Reuters) – A leading epidemiologist at the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday the latest rise in COVID-19 infections worldwide reflected increases among all age groups.

“We are seeing increased rates of transmission across all age groups,” Maria van Kerkhove told a WHO briefing, adding that last week saw 5.2 million cases reported, the highest weekly increase since the start of the pandemic.

“We are seeing a slight age shift in some countries, driven by social mixing,” she added.

(Reporting by Mike Shields and Stephanie Nebahey Editing by Gareth Jones)