Pandemic setback as global Covid deaths and cases rise again

Workers in protective gear lower the coffin of a Covid-19 victim into a grave at the Cipenjo Cemetery in Bogor, Indonesia on Wednesday (Achmad Ibrahim/AP)

Covid-19 deaths and cases are on the rise again globally in a dispiriting setback that is triggering another round of restrictions and dampening hopes for an almost normal summer of fun.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Wednesday that deaths climbed last week after nine straight weeks of decline. It recorded more than 55,000 lives lost, a 3% increase from the week before.