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The new cases reported globally in the past week have declined after more than two months. All regions reported decreases in new cases and in the number of deaths –except Africa where the number of weekly deaths increased by 7%. The cumulative number of cases reported globally is now over 225 million and the cumulative number of deaths is just over 4.6 million.

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant, called C.1.2, has been found by South African researchers. It contains some mutations that spread faster and wider and are not as responsive to current vaccines. The new variant is being monitored and it is still unclear whether it will become more problematic.

According to the latest weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 published by the World Health Organization (WHO), worldwide COVID-19 cases and deaths seem to be stabilizing after having increased for nearly two months. The number of new cases and deaths reported this week remain similar to the previous week.

The world seems to be in the early stages of another wave of infections and deaths despite of vaccination efforts. Unvaccinated people account for a big part of new cases. An increase in cases also creates more opportunities for the virus to mutate, which may lead to the emergence of new variants.

On July 7, the Ministry of Ecological Transition (MITE) of Italy approved the 2021 plan for the biological control of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys).