(by Stefano Giantin)

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 13 OTT - Central- and Eastern Europe has observed a strong increase in new cases of COVID-19 and coronavirus related deaths in the week ending October 11, data from the latest World Health Organizations' weekly epidemiological update show.

A total of 175,074 new COVID-19 cases (+42.8% compared to last week) and 2,201 new deaths (+40.7% week-on-week) were reported by the countries in the Balkans and in Central- and Eastern Europe to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the week ending October 11, bringing the cumulative total of cases to 1,438,895 and of deaths to 33,723.

According to WHO data, in the past week the countries across Central- and Eastern Europe that reported more new cases were Ukraine (34573), Czechia (28769), Germany (23627), Poland (23498) and Romania (18338).

Particularly concerning is the situation in Poland, where the incidence of cases and deaths "increased this week by 93% and 104% respectively compared to the previous week, with almost 23 500 new cases and 370 deaths reported," WHO said, recalling that Poland is "tightening public health and social measures in response to these marked increases in an effort to avoid another lockdown." Also in Czechia the number of new cases reached 28769 from 17311 of a week earlier, with 194 deaths compared to 120.

The highest number of cumulative cases of COVID-19 in the area was registered in Germany (322864), followed by Ukraine (261035), Romania (152403), Poland (121638), Czechia (109374), Belarus (83023), Moldova (61762) and Austria (54685).

Currently, Montenegro remains the country in the region with the highest rate of cumulative cases per 1 million population (20566 against 5780 in Italy), followed by Moldova (15311), Czechia (10213), North Macedonia (9866) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (9249), while the lowest rate is recorded in Latvia (1376).

The countries across the region that reported more new deaths last week were Ukraine (575), Romania (411), Poland (368), Czechia (194), Hungary (111), Moldova (105) and Germany (86).

In Central and Eastern Europe, the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic were reported in Germany (9615), Romania (5358), Ukraine (4972), Poland (2972), Moldova (1458), Hungary (933), Bosnia-Herzegovina (920), Czechia (905), Belarus (891), Bulgaria (887) and Austria (858).

Currently, North Macedonia has the highest rate of deaths per 1 million population in the region (377 against 598 in Italy), followed by Moldova (361), Kosovo (341), Montenegro (303), Bosnia-Herzegovina (280) and Romania (279), while the lowest rate was recorded in Slovakia (11).

In Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and in the Western Balkans (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania) 334,278 confirmed cases and 10.411 deaths were registered as of October 11. (ANSA).