World food prices fell for the sixth month in a row in September, UN data showed Friday, as they continued to decline since a record was reached following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Food and Agriculture Organization said its price index, which tracks the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities, averaged 136.3 points in September, a 1.1% drop from August.

The index, however, was 5.5% higher than in September 2021.

The monthly decline was driven by a "sharp fall" in the prices of vegetable oils, the United Nations agency said.

COVID-19 cases are expected to rise globally. 

At a media briefing, the World Health Organization's Director General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, therefore urged people to continue getting vaccinated to curtail the spread of the disease and save lives.

According to Dr Ghebreyesus, the Omicron variant remains the dominant strain globally, with over 300 variants tracked. 

He says several countries are still reporting high numbers of cases of COVID-19, hospitalisations, and deaths.