India, Dec. 27 -- As the world enters its sixth year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, 77 countries reported fresh cases and 27 countries saw people dying of the disease, according to the latest epidemiological update by the World Health Organization (WHO) from October 14-November 10, 2024.

In the first three deadly years of the pandemic, the virus, SARS-CoV-2, evolved rapidly, with a new strain dominating case surges over the months. And it continues to emerge in altered forms, with significant implications for transmissibility, severity and vaccine efficacy, WHO wrote in the new report.

As of December 2024, the United Nations health agency observed, KP.3.1.1 is the most prevalent JN.1 descendent, followed by XEC, a newly designated ...