According to a UN health agency's report on the pandemic issued on March 22, confirmed cases of the virus had been falling steadily worldwide since January but rose again in mid-March. The suspension of COVID-19 protocols in numerous countries is one of the factors driving the rise in cases.

European countries have relaxed many public health measures against COVID-19, even as case numbers have continued inching upward, and the lifting of restrictions is one of the main reasons several European countries have been registering a sharp increase in infections, according to WHO.