1 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy On 5 May 2023, the WHO Director-General declared that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a Public Health of international Concern (PHEIC) and that it is no longer a global health emergency. Despite the termination of the (PHEIC), COVID-19 remains a global health threat. This means that it is time for those Member States who have not already done so, to shift from emergency mode to the sustained management of COVID-19 taking a risk-based approach using the following recommended tools: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response and international border measures. Regional overview As of 19 June 2023, 204 479 156 cases with 413 526 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing over the past two weeks after several weeks of increasing cases (Figures 1 and 2). This trend, however, should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing and changes in reporting frequency by Member States. In the previous 14 days, a total of 341,707 new cases with 620 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 18 countries and areas: Australia 23 290, Brunei Darussalam 434, Cambodia 77, China 11 912, Cook Islands 14, Fiji 151, French Polynesia 4, Guam 56, the Republic of Korea 235 810, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 106, Malaysia 17 247, Micronesia 1, New Zealand 26 970, Niue 3, Northern Mariana Islands 20, the Philippines 10 909, Singapore 10 432, and Viet Nam 4 271. As of 11 June 2023, XBB.1.16 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 21.1% of sequences in the region. Biweekly country situation updates • Following an increasing trend in the number of cases, the Philippines has reported a declining trend in the number of cases over the past four weeks. The 14-day daily case average was 779 cases reported compared to 1 484 reported cases two weeks prior. Deaths have also seen a declining trend compared to two weeks prior. There does not appear to be strain on the healthcare system with the Philippines reporting a bed occupancy of 17.7%. • Following several weeks of increasing case trends, Viet Nam has reported a declining trend in the number of cases over the past six weeks. The 14-day daily case average was 330 during the past two weeks (5 to 18 June 2023), a 62.5% decrease compared to the two weeks prior (22 May to 4 June 2023). Despite the recent surge in cases, there have been no changes in the proportion of severe cases, or strain on the health system. 2 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 7,327 sequences from 10 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 29 May-11 June 2023. For weeks 22 and 23 (29 May-11 June 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 10 countries and areas was 21.1% for XBB.1.16, 20.3% for XBB.1.9.1, 15.5 % for XBB.1.5, 8.1% for CH.1.1, 7.9% for XBB, 7.2% for XBB.1.9.2, 7.0% for BA.5, 2.3% for BA.2.75, 1.7% for BA.2, 1.6% for BA.1, and 0.3% for BQ.1 Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 19 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 19 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 05 to 18 June 2023, as of 18 June 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 332) 0 (34) -0.07 Australia 23 2901 (11 477 838) 4471 (21 510) -3399.57 Brunei Darussalam 434 (308 777) 0 (161) -112.57 Cambodia 77 (138 884) 0 (3 056) 0.79 China 11 9121 (99 285 177) 1541 (121 390) 32.57 Cook Islands 14 (7 142) 0 (2) -0.57 Fiji 151 (69 072) 2 (885) 10.79 French Polynesia 4 (78 600) 0 (649) -0.79 Guam 56 (51 549) 0 (413) 0.21 Japan 02 (33 803 572) 02 (74694) 0 Kiribati 0 (5 037) 0 (24) -0.71 Korea, Republic of 235 810 (32 018 486) 129 (34 960) 86.93 Lao PDR 106 (218 371) 0 (671) 2.64 Malaysia 17 247 (5 122 019) 31 (37 118) 494.5 Marshall Islands 0 (16 098) 0 (17) -1.21 Micronesia (Federated States of) 1 (26 459) 0 (65) 0.07 Mongolia 0 (1 010 034) 0 (2 136) -50.57 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0 New Caledonia 0 (80 064) 0 (314) -0.43 New Zealand 26 970 (2 333 913) 135 (3077) 1113.29 Niue 31 (820) 01 (0) -0.86 Northern Mariana Islands 201 (13 968) 01 (41) -0.79 Palau 01 (6 011) 01 (9) -0.14 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 864) 01 (670) 0 The Philippines 10 909 (4 159 310) 1 (66 482) -704.57 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 743) 01 (31) 1.43 Singapore 10 432 (2 493 271) 0 (1 722) -925 Solomon Islands 01 (21 611) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0 Tonga 0 (16 817) 0 (12) 0 Tuvalu 01 (2 911) 01 (0) -9.43 Vanuatu 0 (12 019) 0 (14) -0.21 Viet Nam 4271 (11 619 322) 0 (43 206) -574.43 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3550) 01 (8) -3 Total 341707 (204 478 043) 899 (413 525) -4041.71 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries reported no or partial data for the 14-day period 2 Japan no longer reports case numbers as of 8 May 2023. 5 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 11 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage3 BA.5* BA.2.75* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 XBB.1.9.1 XBB.1.9.2 CH.1.1 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X X X X China X X X X X X X X X Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X X X X X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5. XBB.1.5 is a Variant of Interest and is reported separately. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and Planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Health Service Delivery Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Clinical Management • Provided information related to COVID-19 de-isolation criteria to the WHO Division of Pacific Technical Support, Suva, Fiji. • Continued providing support in strengthening countries IPC programmes, revised IPC scoping reports of Low-Income Country Member states. Partner Coordination • An Emergency Medical Team (EMT) consultant is currently in Samoa supporting EMT cache inventory and preparations for the upcoming EMT team member training, which will be held next week on the island of Savai’i. This will be the Samoa Emergency Medical Team’s (SEMAT) second training since Samoa’s national EMT was formed last year. • Following the team member training in Samoa, the Solomon Islands Medical Assistance Team (SOLMAT) will hold a team member training from 26 -30 June 2023 • Further EMT team member trainings are planned for Palau and Papua New Guinea in July. • WPRO WHE staff is participating in several regional/global meetings in June, including the first EMT Meeting in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and an After-Action Review of the Emergency Medical Team response to the Türkiye earthquakes. Strategic Communication The Regional Office actively supports country offices in testing messages to ensure data-driven and audience-focused risk communication and has completed the administration process for continuing to engage a vendor to provide technical support for message testing on COVID-19 and other emergency topics. 7 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Messages for the public On social media, published posts about post-COVID condition and migrant workers in Cambodia and partnerships for pandemic response. • Facebook o You can prevent post #COVID19 condition or #LongCOVID by taking measures to prevent the infection. o When thousands of Cambodian 🇰🇭 migrant workers returned home during the emergency phase of the #COVID19 pandemic, border crossings needed to scale up quickly to protect returnees’ health and prevent large-scale community transmission in rural communities that could overwhelm health systems. Under a United Nations 🇺🇳 Joint Programme supported by the Japan - The Government of Japan 🇯🇵, the World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with IOM - UN Migration, UNFPA, and UNICEF supported the Royal Government of Cambodia to strengthen health security in the border provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Battambang and Oddar Meanchey. o • Twitter o Prevent post#COVID19 condition by taking measures against infection: o As part of the @WHO & @EU_Commission partnership to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response in South-East Asia, participants from #ASEANplus3 countries continue to share lessons, challenges & successes to strengthen field epidemiology training approaches in the region. o When thousands of Cambodian migrant workers returned home because of #COVID19, @WHO worked with @IOM, @UNFPA, @UNICEF in a joint programme funded by @JapanGov to protect returnees’ health, prevent community transmission in rural communities, and build health security.
1 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy On 5 May 2023, the WHO Director-General declared that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a Public Health of international Concern (PHEIC) and that it is no longer a global health emergency. Despite the termination of the (PHEIC), COVID-19 remains a global health threat. This means that it is time for those Member States who have not already done so, to shift from emergency mode to the sustained management of COVID-19 taking a risk-based approach using the following recommended tools: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response and international border measures. Regional overview As of 22 May 2023, 203 669 467 cases with 411 963 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing over the past two weeks after several weeks of increasing cases (Figures 1 and 2). This trend, however, should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing and sequencing, alongside a lack of reporting and delays in many countries. In the previous 14 days, a total of 411 963 new cases with 521 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 21 countries and areas: Australia 35 525, Brunei Darussalam 4 214, Cambodia 5, China 9 387, Cook Islands 39, French Polynesia 24, Guam 187, Japan 10 143, the Republic of Korea 262 173, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 111, Malaysia 15 012, Mongolia 390, New Zealand 23 330, Northern Mariana Islands 24, Papua New Guinea 12, the Philippines 24 840, Singapore 24 296, Viet Nam 26 855 and Wallis and Futuna 81. As of 16 May 2023, XBB.1.16 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 19.3% of sequences in region. XBB.1.5 became a variant under interest on 16 April and continues to increase in proportion among sequenced cases. This is the first time in several months that BA.5 did not account for the highest proportion of cases in the region. Biweekly country situation updates • Mongolia has reported a rise in cases and hospitalizations over the past four weeks. Within the first week of May, the country reported 390 cases, ten times as many as the weekly reported cases two weeks prior. Hospitalizaitons also continue to rise, however, no reports of hospital strains have been observed. Additionally, no deaths have been reported since December 2022. • Some increasing trends in cases have been observed in some Pacific Island Countries, including Tokelau, which reported three new cases in the past week, all traced back to a ship. These cases are isolated and the government implemented some public health and social measures in response. Guam, Niue and are also reporting small rises in cases, however, case counts remain low. Since the start of the pandemic, no deaths have been reported in Pitcairn Islands or Tokelau, and Guam has not reported any deaths since January 2023. 2 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) • Following several weeks of increasing case trends, Viet Nam has reported a declining number of cases over the past three weeks. The 14-day daily case average was 1 918 during the first two weeks of May, a 13% decrease compared to the final two weeks in April. Hospitalizations also peaked in late April, with 2 596 hospitalizations reported on 28 April. An overall decreasing trend has been observed through May and as of 22 May, 493 hospitalized cases were reported. Death continue to remain low; Viet Nam has reported 7 within the past two weeks. SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 7 044 sequences from 9 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 16 April to 6 May 2023. For weeks 12 and 13 (16 April to 6 May 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 8 countries and areas was 19.3% for XBB.1.5, 17.0% for XBB.1.16, 15.2% for XBB.1.9.1, 15.0% for BA.5, 6.2% for XBB, 5.6% for XBB.2.3, 4.5% for BA.2.75 and 3.3% for BQ.1. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 22 May 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 22 May 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 8 May to 21 May 2023, as of 22 May 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 331) 0 (34) -0.14 Australia 35 5251 (11 339 196) 341 (20 393) -1 835.43 Brunei Darussalam 4 214 (303 719) 31(161) -517.14 Cambodia 5 (138 ) 0 (3 056) -0.07 China 9 3871(99 261 812) 1291 (121 144) 159.07 Cook Islands 39 (7 106) 0 (2) 2.21 Fiji 0 (68 921) 0 (883) -0.21 French Polynesia 24 (78 569) 0 (649) -5.21 Guam 187 (51 427) 0 (413) 4.07 Japan 10 1432 (33 803 572) 402 (74 694) -9 670.50 Kiribati 21 (5 027) 01 (24) 0.14 Korea, Republic of 262 173(31 548 083) 153 (34 687) 4 274.93 Lao PDR 111 (218 196) 0 (641) 6.79 Malaysia 15 012 (5 094 448) 42 (37 070) 175.21 Marshall Islands 0 (16 081) 0 (17) 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 (26 453) 1 (65) -26.64 Mongolia 390 (1 008 655) 0 (2 136) 8.86 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0 New Caledonia 01 (80 058) 01 (314) -0.07 New Zealand 23 330 (2 295 559) 101 (2 893) 181.5 Niue 551 (802) 01 (0) 3.93 Northern Mariana Islands 241 (13 896) 01 (41) -0.64 Palau 01 (6 000) 01 (9) -0.07 Papua New Guinea 131 (46 864) 01 (670) -0.14 The Philippines 24 840 (4 127 628) 13 (66 466) 786.93 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 763) 01 (31) -1.86 Singapore 24 296 (2 438 690) 0 (1 722) -1 553.21 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0 Tonga 0 (16 817) 0 (12) -0.21 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 016) 0 (14) 0 Viet Nam 26 855 (11 602 738) 7 (43 203) -303.57 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 01 (7) 0 Total 436 705 (203 669 467) 521 (411 963) -8 305.57 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries reported no or partial data for the 14-day period 2 Japan no longer reports case numbers as of 8 May 2023. 5 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 22 May 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage3 BA.5* BA.2.75* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 XBB.1.9.1 XBB.1.9.2 CH.1.1 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X X X X X X Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X X X X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5. XBB.1.5 is a Variant of Interest and is reported separately. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and Planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Partner Coordination The Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN) Strategy Implementation Workshop and the 33rd GOARN Steering Committee meeting was held from 8 May to 12 May 2023 in Amman, Jordan. The primary aim of the GOARN Strategy Implementation Workshop was to prioritize activities according to four strategic themes. Participants developed collaborative plans to support the global and regional outbreak preparedness, readiness and response activities. The 33rd GOARN Steering Committee reflected on the challenges and opportunities for GOARN in a 2023 context, clarified GOARN governance structure and membership, and applied discussions from the strategy workshop to decision making and execution by GOARN partners. For the first time, the first day of the Steering Committee was open for observation by attendees of the Strategy Implementation Workshop. The Western Pacific was represented by nine partners from five Member States: Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, and Fiji. Strategic Communication The Regional Office continues to support COVID-19 strategic communications in countries and areas across the Region, including developing health messages and campaigns, monitoring and responding to mis-and disinformation through social listening, gathering behavioural insights and media relations. Messages for the public • On social media, posted about the end of the COVID-19 PHIEC, the Pandemic Accord, donor and partnerships in PICS. WHO also shared messages for World Immunization Week highlighting the collective action needed to protect people from COVID-19 and vaccine- preventable diseases. • Facebook o Driven by the heightened demand during the pandemic, Pacific nations have been working with WHO and partners to strengthen their laboratory services to detect #COVID19 and other diseases. Check out our latest photo story to see how: https://bit.ly/3Mxz5ZU o The Ministry Of Health & Medical Services - Solomon Islands 🇸🇧 inaugurated its very first oxygen plant in the country yesterday, with support from WHO and the European Union in the Pacific . The new oxygen plant was delivered and installed at the National Referral Hospital, helping boost access to life-saving medical oxygen in 7 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) the Solomon Islands. Oxygen is an essential medicine that, when used properly, is critical to treating #COVID19 and other respiratory illnesses. o “The Pandemic Accord and the amendments to the International Health Regulations are a commitment to future generations that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic and neglect but move forward with shared commitment to meet shared threats with a shared response.” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization • Twitter o Globally, millions of children have missed out on life-saving vaccines due to #COVID19. o The Pandemic Accord and the amendments to the International Health Regulations are a commitment to future generations that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic and neglect but move forward with shared commitment to meet shared threats with a shared response. o The new oxygen plant was delivered and installed at the National Referral Hospital, helping boost access to life-saving medical oxygen in the Solomon Islands. Oxygen is an essential medicine that, when used properly, is critical to treating #COVID19 & other respiratory illnesses.
1 of 2 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #138 04 January 2023 Period of Report: 28 December 2022 to 3 January 2023, as of 04 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Key highlights ● New cases of COVID-19 were reported in 20 countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region within the past seven days: Cambodia 70, China 207 421, Cook Islands 85, Fiji 48, Guam 64, Japan 827 719, the Republic of Korea 448 540, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 143, Malaysia 3 459, Micronesia (Federated States of) 165, Mongolia 316, New Caledonia 392, New Zealand 29 469, Niue 240, Palau 3, the Philippines 2 982, Singapore 6 062, Vanuatu 1, Viet Nam 506, and Wallis and Futuna 12. ● Two Western Pacific countries or areas that had previously reported cases have reported no new cases within the past seven days: Tokelau (21 days) and Pitcairn Islands (166 days). The Marshall Islands removed 3 cases. American Samoa, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu did not update the number of cases for the reporting period. Tokelau reported its first COVID-19 cases on 13 December, but the number of cases has not been updated since then. Epi update COVID-19 Member States 20 countries or areas reporting cases in the past 7 days 15 countries or areas reporting ZERO cases for more than 7 days Cases 1 527 769 past 7 days 107 102 152 cumulative cases Deaths 3 166 past 7 days 297 370 cumulative deaths Deployments COVID-19 response 562 total deployments 500 deployments completed 19 actively supporting country offices 12 actively supporting the Regional Office 31 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 39 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 4 January 2023) 23 626 474 surgical masks 4 755 804 particulate respirators 1 423 099 medical gowns 331 452 goggles 1 227 464 face shields 6 617 960 pairs of gloves 23 994 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 682 312 laboratory tests 1 863 974 point of care tests 3 646 460 swab kits 601 ICU ventilators 2 938 oxygen concentrators 29 035 pulse oximeters 213 240 rapid antigen tests 1 of 2 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #138 04 January 2023 Period of Report: 28 December 2022 to 3 January 2023, as of 04 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Weekly situation updates ● In the Region, all countries and areas have reported COVID-19 cases since December 2019. From 28 December 2022 to 3 January 2023, a total of 1 527 769 cases with 3 166 deaths were reported, for a cumulative 107 102 152 cases with 297 370 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.3%) as of 4 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8). Available data indicate that countries and areas in the Region have identified imported cases and/or localized community transmission, while subnational areas in some countries and areas have identified large-scale community transmission. ● Globally, 655 647 626 COVID-19 cases with 6 671 027 deaths have been reported in 234 countries or areas (PFC 1.0%) as of 30 December 2022 10:00 (CEST). The number of newly reported weekly cases decreased in other regions except for the Region of the Americas and the Western Pacific Region. For the number of newly reported weekly deaths, it decreased or remained stable across regions except for the Western Pacific Region. Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the highest number of cases, as of 4 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 4 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 1 of 2 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #138 04 January 2023 Period of Report: 28 December 2022 to 3 January 2023, as of 04 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 28 December 2022 to 3 January 2023, as of 4 January 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (7-day average of cases) Days since last reported case American Samoa 01 (8 266) 0 (34) 0.00 0 Australia 01 (11 047 174) 0 (15 937) -15 582.57 0 Brunei Darussalam 01 (266 819) 0 (146) 0.00 0 Cambodia 106 (138 525) 0 (3 056) -5.29 0 China 171 563 (10 260 112) 505 (31 882) 3 272.00 0 Cook Islands 27 (6 625) 0 (1) -26.00 0 Fiji 77 (68 702) 3 (881) 0.71 0 French Polynesia 82 (77 957) 0 (649) -12.71 0 Guam 131 (49 938) 0 (411) 15.57 0 Japan 1 173 540 (28 548 004) 2 083 (55 813) 15 461.29 0 Kiribati 01 (3 430) 0 (13) 0.00 0 Korea, Republic of 469 722 (28 772 196) 392 (31 882) 1 178.43 0 Lao PDR 200 (217 658) 0 (757) -3.00 0 Malaysia 5 415 (5 023 999) 27 (36 835) -246.57 0 Marshall Islands 01 (15 547) 0 (17) 0.00 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 21 (22 069) 0 (58) 3.00 0 Mongolia 168 (1 007 400) 1 (2 136) -19.29 0 Nauru 01 (4 621) 0 (1) 0.00 0 New Caledonia 824 (79 162) 0 (314) 117.71 0 New Zealand 01 (2 027 981) 0 (2 288) -5 674.57 0 Niue 44 (335) 0 (0) -7.00 0 Northern Mariana Islands 01 (13 236) 0 (41) -9.29 0 Palau 13 (5 968) 0 (9) 1.86 0 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 663) 0 (669) -20.71 0 The Philippines 5 188 (4 062 191) 168 (65 262) -248.57 0 Pitcairn Islands 0 (4) 0 (0) 0.00 159 Samoa 01 (15 982) 0 (29) -1.00 0 Singapore 7 027 (2 197 084) 1 (1 711) -177.43 0 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 0 (153) 0.00 0 Tokelau 0 (5) 0 (0) 0.00 14 Tonga 201 (16 412) 0 (12) 24.57 0 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 0 (0) 0.00 0 Vanuatu 2 (12 013) 0 (14) 0.29 0 Viet Nam 1 112 (11 524 273) 4 (43 184) -146.71 0 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 415) 0 (7) 0.00 0 Total 1 835 463 (105 571 120) 3 184 (294 202) -2 107.00 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ daily reports. 1 The number of cases was not updated due to reporting issues 1 of 2 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #138 04 January 2023 Period of Report: 28 December 2022 to 3 January 2023, as of 04 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning Surveillance ● The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence and transmission levels within countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Partner Coordination ● On 17 December 2022, the Pasifika Medical Association’s Emergency Medical Team (EMT), PACMAT, deployed to Niue to support the Pacific Island Country's response to community transmission of COVID-19. The deployment is ongoing with the team’s second rotation of PACMAT personnel arriving in Niue on 31 Dec 2022. Strategic Communication ● Working on updates for implementation of recommendations made by the 13th EC meeting on COVID-19 in preparation for the 14th EC meeting on 27 January 2023. ● A campaign is ongoing to promote the dissemination of the risk communication package for the sustained management of COVID-19 under the theme “Living life safely” during the Christmas and New Year period. Messages for the public ● On social media, published content on COVID-19 prevention especially during the holiday season, keeping safe from flu and COVID-19, and updates on COVID-19 response in countries and on Omicron. Content from the newly published COVID-19 risk communication package were also posted on WPRO Facebook and Twitter. ● Top COVID-19 Facebook posts: - Tips to keep places of worship safe from COVID-19 (reach: 14,588) - Stay protected from COVID-19 while travelling for the holidays (reach: 14,505) - Tips to keep food shops and markets safe from COVID-19 (reach: 14,185) ● Top COVID-19 Twitter posts: - Dr Maria Van Kerkhove on what we know about Omicron so far (impressions: 23,929) - Tips to keep restaurants safe from COVID-19 (impressions: 11,129) - Kiribati establishes its national Emergency Medical Team (impressions: 5,591) ● A Facebook campaign to promote the COVID-19 risk communication package is running in countries across the region: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Pacific island countries and areas. The campaign has reached over 31.3 million FB users, with over 30.1 million post engagements and over 100 million impressions.
Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Key highlights ● New cases of COVID-19 were reported in 20 countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region within the past seven days: Cambodia 40, China 265 319, Cook Islands 176, Fiji 21, Japan 1 193 154, Kiribati 1 491, the Republic of Korea 379 156, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 67, Malaysia 3 238, Micronesia (Federated States of) 13, Mongolia 71, New Caledonia 158, New Zealand 40 236, Niue 6, Palau 5, the Philippines 2 920, Samoa 17, Singapore 5 455, Tonga 103, and Viet Nam 498. ● Three Western Pacific countries or areas that had previously reported cases have reported no new cases within the past seven days: Vanuatu (8 days) Tokelau (28 days) and Pitcairn Islands (173 days). American Samoa, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, French Polynesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna did not update the number of cases for the reporting period. Epi update COVID-19 Member States 20 countries or areas reporting cases in the past 7 days 15 countries or areas reporting ZERO cases for more than 7 days Cases 1 892 198 past 7 days 109 041 094 cumulative cases Deaths 3 777 past 7 days 301 186 cumulative deaths Deployments COVID-19 response 562 total deployments 500 deployments completed 19 actively supporting country offices 12 actively supporting the Regional Office 31 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 39 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 11 January 2023) 23 626 474 surgical masks 4 755 804 particulate respirators 1 423 099 medical gowns 331 452 goggles 1 227 464 face shields 6 617 960 pairs of gloves 23 994 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 682 312 laboratory tests 1 863 974 point of care tests 3 646 460 swab kits 601 ICU ventilators 2 938 oxygen concentrators 29 035 pulse oximeters 213 240 rapid antigen tests 1 of 4 Weekly situation updates ● In the Region, all countries and areas have reported COVID-19 cases since December 2019. From 28 December 2022 to 3 January 2023, a total of 1 892 198 cases with 3 777 deaths were reported, for a cumulative 109 041 094 cases with 301 186 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.3%) as of 11 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8). Available data indicates that countries and areas in the Region have identified imported cases and/or localized community transmission, while subnational areas in some countries and areas have identified large-scale community transmission. ● Globally, 660 131 952 COVID-19 cases with 6 690 473 deaths have been reported in 234 countries or areas (PFC 1.0%) as of 10 January 2022 16:25 (CEST). The number of newly reported weekly cases decreased in other regions except for the Region of the Americas and the Western Pacific Region. For the number of newly reported weekly deaths, it decreased or remained stable across regions except for the Western Pacific Region. Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the highest number of cases, as of 11 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 11 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 2 of 4 Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 4 January to 10 January 2023, as of 11 January 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (7-day average of cases) Days since last reported case American Samoa 01 (8 302) 0 (34) -2.43 0 Australia 01 (11 047 174) 0 (15 937) 0.00 0 Brunei Darussalam 01 (272 646) 0 (148) -349.57 0 Cambodia 40 (138 635) 0 (3 056) -4.29 0 China 265 319 (10 776 416) 804 (33 343) 2 869.14 0 Cook Islands 176 (6 886) 0 (1) 13.00 0 Fiji 21 (68 771) 2 (883) -3.86 0 French Polynesia 01 (77 957) 0 (649) 0.00 0 Guam 01 (50 002) 0 (411) -9.14 0 Japan 1 193 154 (30 568 877) 2 437 (60 158) 52 205.00 0 Kiribati 1 491 (4 921) 4 (17) 213.00 0 Korea, Republic of 379 156 (29 599 747) 368 (32 669) -9 912.00 0 Lao PDR 67 (217 868) 1 (758) -10.86 0 Malaysia 3 238 (5 030 696) 25 (36 883) -31.57 0 Marshall Islands 01 (15 544) 0 (17) 0.00 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 13 (22 247) 0 (58) 1.86 0 Mongolia 71 (10 07 787) 0 (2 136) -35.00 0 Nauru 01 (4621) 0 (1) 0.00 0 New Caledonia 158 (79 712) 0 (314) -33.43 0 New Zealand 40 236 (2 097 686) 62 (2 393) 1 538.14 0 Niue 60 (635) 0 (0) -25.71 0 Northern Mariana Islands 01 (13 395) 0 (41) -22.71 0 Palau 5 (5 976) 0 (9) 0.29 0 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 663) 0 (669) 0.00 0 The Philippines 2 920 (4 068 093) 71 (65 486) -8.86 0 Pitcairn Islands 0 (4) 0 (0) 0.00 173 Samoa 17 (16 008) 0 (29) 2.43 0 Singapore 5 455 (2 208 601) 3 (1 714) -86.71 0 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 0 (153) 0.00 0 Tokelau 0 (5) 0 (0) 0.00 21 Tonga 103 (16 590) 0 (12) 4.00 0 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 0 (0) 0.00 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 014) 0 (14) -0.14 8 Viet Nam 498 (11 525 834) 0 (43 186) -80.71 0 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 0 (7) -1.71 0 Total 1 892 198 (109 041 094) 3 777 (301 186) 46 205.00 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ daily reports. 1 The number of cases was not updated due to reporting issues 3 of 4 Key information and announcements Information and planning ● The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence and transmission levels within countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Messages for the public ● On social media, published content on HQ COVID-19 updates, staying safe in different settings, COVID-19 vaccination and booster doses, and updates on COVID-19 response in countries. ● Top COVID-19 Facebook posts: - COVID-19 response in Solomon Islands (reach: 21 428) - Tips to keep transport safe from COVID-19 (reach: 14 688) - Tips to keep workplaces safe from COVID-19 (reach: 10 453) ● Top COVID-19 Twitter posts: - COVID-19 update from Dr Maria Van Kerkhove (impressions: 16 290) - If you do get COVID-19 after vaccination, you are more likely to get mild or no symptoms (impressions: 6 492) - Tips to keep workplaces safe from COVID-19 (impressions: 4 674) 4 of 4
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #140 18 January 2023 Period of Report: 11 January to 17 January 2023, as of 18 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Key highlights ● New cases of COVID-19 have been updated in 19 countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region within the past seven days: Australia 191 750, Brunei Darussalam 1 571, Cambodia 29, China 162 999, Cook Islands 98, Fiji 22, Guam 398, Japan 902 134, the Republic of Korea 261 487, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 59, Malaysia 2 208, Mongolia 50, New Caledonia 145, New Zealand 17 311, Niue 86, Palau 4, the Philippines 2 386, Singapore 3 530, and Viet Nam 333. ● On 14 January 2023, Chinese officials reported that 1.27 million1 COVID-19 cases were currently hospitalized including 104 018 severe and critical cases as of 12 January 2023. 59,9381 COVID-19-related deaths that occurred in hospitals between 8 December 2022 and 12 January 2023 were reported. ● Three Western Pacific countries or areas that had previously reported cases with no new cases within the past seven days: Vanuatu (14 days) Tokelau (35 days) and Pitcairn Islands (180 days). American Samoa, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna did not update the number of cases for the reporting period. Epi update COVID-19 Member States 19 countries or areas reporting cases in the past 7 days 16 countries or areas reporting ZERO cases for more than 7 days Cases 1 546 600 past 7 days 110 587 701 cumulative cases Deaths 4 881 past 7 days 306 067 cumulative deaths Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely 1 This number does not include information relating to Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Taiwan, China, and is not reflected in table 1 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #140 18 January 2023 Period of Report: 11 January to 17 January 2023, as of 18 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 39 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 18 January 2023) 24 425 274 surgical masks 5 645 804 particulate respirators 1 524 099 medical gowns 366 492 goggles 1 230 646 face shields 7 682 960 pairs of gloves 24 083 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 682 312 laboratory tests 1 924 884 point of care tests 3 693 460 swab kits 601 ICU ventilators 2 93878 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 213 240 rapid antigen tests Weekly situation updates ● In the Western Pacific Region, from 11 January to 17 January 2023, there were a total of 1 546 600 cases with 4 881 deaths for a cumulative 110 587 701 cases with 306 067 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.3%) as of 18 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8). Available data indicate that countries and areas in the Region have identified imported cases and/or localized community transmission, while subnational areas in some countries and areas have identified large-scale community transmission. ● Globally, 662,735,182 COVID-19 cases with 6,706,305 deaths have been reported in 235 countries or areas (PFC 1.0%) as of 17 January 2022 16:25 (CEST). The number of newly reported weekly cases decreased in all other WHO regions except for the Western Pacific Region. The number of newly reported weekly deaths decreased or remained stable across regions except for the Western Pacific Region. Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the highest number of cases, as of 18 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #140 18 January 2023 Period of Report: 11 January to 17 January 2023, as of 18 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 18 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #140 18 January 2023 Period of Report: 11 January to 17 January 2023, as of 18 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with updated laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 11 January to 17 January 2023, as of 18 January 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (7-day average of cases) Days since last reported case American Samoa 02 (8309) 02 (34) -3.43 0 Australia 191 750 (11 238 924) 742 (16 679) 27 392.86 0 Brunei Darussalam 1571 (274217) 0 (148) -125.14 0 Cambodia 29 (138 664) 01 (3 056) -3.14 0 China 162 999 (10 939 415) 778 (34121) -22 953.86 0 Cook Islands 98 (6 984) 1 (2) -11.14 0 Fiji 22 (68 793) 0 (883) 0.14 0 French Polynesia 02 (77 957) 02 (649) 0.00 0 Guam 398 (50 400) 4 (415) 56.86 0 Japan 902 134 (31 471 011) 2 805 (62 963) -64 886.86 0 Kiribati 02 (4 921) 02 (17) -213.00 0 Korea, Republic of 261 487 (29 861 234) 345 (33 014) -31 637.14 0 Lao PDR 59 (217 927) 0 (758) -2.14 0 Malaysia 2 208 (5 032 904) 31 (36 914) -258.71 0 Marshall Islands 02 (15 544) 02 (17) 0.00 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 02 (22 247) 02 (58) 0.00 0 Mongolia 50 (1 007 837) 0 (2 136) -45.00 0 Nauru 02 (4 621) 02 (1) 0.00 0 New Caledonia 145 (79 857) 0 (314) 1.43 0 New Zealand 17 311 (2 114 997) 44 (2 437) -3 275.00 0 Niue 86 (721) 0 (0) -13.00 0 Northern Mariana Islands 02 (13 395) 02 (41) 0.00 0 Palau 4 (5 980) 0 (9) -0.14 0 Papua New Guinea 02 (46 663) 02 (669) 0.00 0 The Philippines 2 386 (4 070 479) 128 (65 614) -435.43 0 Pitcairn Islands 0 (4) 0 (0) 0.00 180 Samoa 02 (16 008) 02 (29) -2.43 0 Singapore 3 530 (2 212 131) 3 (1 717) -408.14 0 Solomon Islands 02 (24 575) 02 (153) 0.00 0 Tokelau 0 (5) 0 (0) 0.00 35 Tonga 02 (16 590) 02 (12) -14.71 0 Tuvalu 02 (2 779) 02 (0) 0.00 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 014) 0 (14) 0.00 14 Viet Nam 333 (11 5261 67) 0 (43 186) -38.57 0 Wallis and Futuna 02 (3 427) 01 (7) 0.00 0 Total 1 546 600 (110 587 701) 4 881 (306 067) -96 877.57 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ daily reports. 2 The number of cases was not updated due to reporting issues Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #140 18 January 2023 Period of Report: 11 January to 17 January 2023, as of 18 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating variants of concern, as of 8 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage3 BA.5* BA.2.75* BJ.1 BA.4.6* XBB* BA.2.3.20 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X X Cambodia X X X X China X X X Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia Guam X X Japan X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X Mongolia X X X New Caledonia New Zealand X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X Palau X Papua New Guinea X The Philippines X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X *Includes sub variants Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 3 Based on sequences uploaded to Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #140 18 January 2023 Period of Report: 11 January to 17 January 2023, as of 18 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning ● The Regional Office continue to monitor COVID-19 incidence and transmission levels within countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Partner Coordination ● Prepared a risk communications package to promote safe celebrations for the Lunar New Year, covering topics on COVID-19 preventive measures, food safety, road safety, etc. Messages for the public ● On social media, the Regional Office published content on HQ COVID-19 updates, staying safe in different settings, COVID-19 vaccination and booster doses, and keeping safe from flu and COVID- 19. ● Top COVID-19 Facebook posts: - Stay home if you feel unwell. (reach: 14,470) - Know your risk to lower your risk. (reach: 13,957) - Vaccination of older adults (reach: 11,681) ● Top COVID-19 Twitter posts: - Tips for keeping events and gathering safe (impressions: 27,084) - Vaccination of older adults (impressions: 17,035) - Do you need a COVID-19 vaccine booster? (impressions: 5,266)
1 of 5 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #141 25 January 2023 Period of Report: 18 January to 24 January 2023, as of 25 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Weekly situation updates ● As of 25 January 2023, 111 667 559 cases with 310 382 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.3%) have been reported in the Western Pacific Region. ● In the week of 18 to 24 January 2023 a total of 863 464 new cases with 3 519 new deaths were reported in 19 countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region: Brunei Darussalam 1 003, Cambodia 12, China 128 4151, Cook Islands 11, Fiji 15, Guam 105, Japan 573 890, Kiribati 70, the Republic of Korea 142 414, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 13, Malaysia 1 819, Mongolia 19, New Caledonia 37, New Zealand 12 278, Niue 16, Palau 6, the Philippines 1 462, Singapore 1 753, and Viet Nam 126. ● On 21 January 2023, Chinese officials reported that 471 7392 COVID-19 cases were currently hospitalized including 51 6832 severe and critical cases as of 19 January 2023. 12 6582 COVID-19-related deaths that occurred in hospitals between 13 January 2023 and 19 January 2023 were reported. ● Globally, 664 618 938 COVID-19 cases with 6 722 949 deaths have been reported in 240 countries or areas (PFC 1.0%) as of 24 January 2022 16:25 (CEST). The number of newly reported weekly cases decreased in all other WHO regions. The number of newly reported weekly deaths decreased or remained stable across regions, including the Western Pacific Region. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 39 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 25 January 2023) 24 425 274 surgical masks 5 645 804 particulate respirators 1 524 299 medical gowns 366 492 goggles 1 230 464 face shields 7 685 960 pairs of gloves 24 083 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 682 312 laboratory tests 1 924 884 point of care tests 3 693 460 swab kits 601 ICU ventilators 3 178 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 213 240 rapid antigen tests 1 The number includes information relating to Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China, and is reflected in Table 1 2 This number does not include information relating Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China and is not reflected in Table 1 2 of 5 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #141 25 January 2023 Period of Report: 18 January to 24 January 2023, as of 25 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the highest number of cases, as of 25 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 25 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 3 of 5 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #141 25 January 2023 Period of Report: 18 January to 24 January 2023, as of 25 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 18 January to 24 January 2023, as of 25 January 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (7-day average of cases) Days since last reported case American Samoa 01 (8317) 01 (34) -1.14 0 Australia 01 (11 268 946) 01 (16 989) -4 288.86 0 Brunei Darussalam 1 003 (275 220) 0 (148) -224.43 0 Cambodia 12 (138 677) 0 (3 056) -3.86 0 China 128 415 (11 088 646) 542 (34 739) -22 431.00 0 Cook Islands 11 (6995) 0 (2) -9.86 0 Fiji 15 (68 808) 0 (883) -3.14 0 French Polynesia 01 (77 957) 01 (649) 0.00 0 Guam 105 (50 547) 0 (415) -62.86 0 Japan 573 890 (32 171 700) 2609 (65 929) -135 707.29 0 Kiribati 70 (4 991) 1 (18) 0.00 0 Korea, Republic of 142 414 (30 040 556) 213 (33 270) -34 864.57 0 Lao PDR 13 (217 947) 0 (758) -6.71 0 Malaysia 1 819 (5 035 073) 13 (36 932) -311.14 0 Marshall Islands 01 (15 544) 01 (17) 0.00 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 01 (22 676) 01 (58) 0.00 0 Mongolia 19 (1 007 862) 0 (2 136) -6.14 0 Nauru 01 (4 621) 01 (1) 0.00 0 New Caledonia 37 (79 956) 0 (314) -8.43 0 New Zealand 12 278 (2 127 275) 31 (2 468) -2 473.00 0 Niue 16 (739) 0 (0) -4.14 0 Northern Mariana Islands 0 (13 395) 0 (41) 0.00 0 Palau 6 (5 986) 0 (9) -0.57 0 Papua New Guinea 0 (46 663) 0 (669) 0.00 0 The Philippines 1 462 (4 072 188) 108 (65 726) -343.57 0 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0.00 188 Samoa 01 (16 022) 01 (29) -2.00 0 Singapore 1 753 (2 214 437) 2 (1 720) -453.29 0 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 01 (153) 0.00 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0.00 42 Tonga 01 (16 672) 01 (12) -11.71 0 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0.00 0 Vanuatu 01 (12 014) 01 (14) 0.00 23 Viet Nam 126 (11 526 339) 0 (43 186) -43.14 0 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 01 (7) 0.00 0 Total 863 464 (111 667 559) 3 519 (310 382) -201 322.14 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ daily reports. 1 The number of cases was not updated due to reporting issues 4 of 5 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #141 25 January 2023 Period of Report: 18 January to 24 January 2023, as of 25 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating variants of concern, as of 15 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage1 BA.5* BA.2.75* BA.4.6* XBB* BA.2.3.20 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia Guam X X Japan X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X Mongolia X X X New Caledonia New Zealand X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X Palau X Papua New Guinea X The Philippines X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X *Includes sub variants Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 1 Based on sequences uploaded to Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) 5 of 5 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #141 25 January 2023 Period of Report: 18 January to 24 January 2023, as of 25 January 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning ● The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence and transmission levels within countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Messages for the public ● On corporate social media accounts, the Regional Office continued publishing content and messages on COVID-19 preventive measures, including content concerning staying safe from COVID-19 during the Lunar New Year
1 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #142 1 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Regional overview • As of 1 February 2023, 99 662 473 cases with 390 299 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. There has been a decline in the number of reported cases and deaths across the Region (Figure 1 & 2), following a steep decline in cases and deaths from early January in China. • In the week of 25 to 31 January 2023, a total of 706 005 cases with 2 767 deaths (Table 1) were reported in 17 countries and areas: Brunei Darussalam 847, Cambodia 16, China 172 3411, Cook Islands 18, Fiji 12, Guam 135, Japan 361 205, Kiribati 17, the Republic of Korea 156 510, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 22, Malaysia 1 520, Mongolia 10, New Caledonia 25, New Zealand 9 387, the Philippines 1 109, Singapore 2 673, and Viet Nam 158. • The BA.5 Omicron subvariant and its descendent lineages remain dominant across the Region. Weekly country situation updates • On 28 January 2023, Chinese officials reported that 215 9582 COVID-19 cases were currently hospitalized including 26 1562 severe and critical cases as of 26 January 2023. 6 3642 COVID-19-related deaths that occurred in hospitals between 20 and 26 January 2023 were reported. The number of fever clinic visits nationally peaked (2.867 million) on 23 Dec 2022 and decreased by 96.2% to 110 thousand visits on 23 January 2023. Both urban and rural areas have reported a slight increase in the number of fever clinic visits from 23 to 30 January 2023. • Weekly cases and deaths have been decreasing since mid-January in Japan. The recent wave was impacted by an increase in cases in youth and adolescents and waning vaccine effectiveness in the elderly. Both BF.7 and BQ.1 have increased across Japan and the increase in BQ.1 coincided with the rise in cases. SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern and Omicron Subvariants in the Region • A total of 14,026 sequences from nine countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 16 January to 22 January 2023. • The top three subvariants reported in the Region were BA.5 (59%), BA.2.75 (13%), and BQ.1 (12%) (Table 2). 1 This number includes information from Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China only 2 This number does not include information relating to Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China, and values from 24 January to 26 January are not reflected in Table 1. 2 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #142 1 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 39 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 25 January 2023) 24 425 274 surgical masks 5 645 804 particulate respirators 1 524 299 medical gowns 366 492 goggles 1 230 464 face shields 7 685 960 pairs of gloves 24 083 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 682 312 laboratory tests 1 924 884 point of care tests 3 693 460 swab kits 601 ICU ventilators 3 178 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 213 240 rapid antigen tests Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 1 February 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 3 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #142 1 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 1 February 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #142 1 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 25 January to 31 January 2023, as of 1 February 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (7-day average of cases) Days since last reported case American Samoa 0 (8 320) 0 (34) -0.43 Australia 01 (11 290 997) 0 (17 570) -3150.14 Brunei Darussalam 847 (276 067) 0 (148) -22.29 Cambodia 16 (138 693) 0 (3 056) 0.57 China 172 341 (98 527 673) 314 (111 621) -39635 Cook Islands 18 (7 011) 0 (2) 1.29 Fiji 12 (68 820) 0 (883) -0.43 French Polynesia 0 1 (77 957) 0 (649) 0 Guam 135 (50 691) 1 (416) 3 Japan 361 205 (32 532 905) 2 162 (68 091) -30383.57 Kiribati 17 (5 008) 0 (18) -7.57 Korea, Republic of 156 510 (30 197 066) 216 (33 486) 2013.71 Lao PDR 22 (217 969) 0 (758) 1.29 Malaysia 1 520 (5 036 593) 10 (36 942) -42.71 Marshall Islands 01 (15 584) 0 (17) 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 01 (22 676) 0 (58) 0 Mongolia 10 (1 007 872) 0 (2 136) -1.29 Nauru 01 (4 621) 0 (1) 0 New Caledonia 25 (79 981) 0 (314) -1.71 New Zealand 9 387 (2 136 662) 9 (2 477) -413 Niue 0 (741) 0 (0) -2.57 7 Northern Mariana Islands 01 (13 395) 0 (41) 0 Palau 0 (5 986) 0 (9) -0.86 5 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 750) 0 (670) -1.14 The Philippines 1 109 (4 073 203) 53 (65 779) -37 Pitcairn Islands 0 (4) 0 (0) 0 195 Samoa 01 (16087) 0 (29) -9.29 Singapore 2 673 (2 217 110) 2 (1 722) 131.43 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 0 (153) 0 Tokelau 0 (5) 0 (0) 0 49 Tonga 01 (16 734) 0 (12) -8.86 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 0 (0) 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 014) 0 (14) 0 Viet Nam 158 (11 526 497) 0 (43 186) 4.57 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3427) 0 (7) 0 Total 706 005 (199 662 473) 2 767 (390 299) -71567.71 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ daily reports. 5 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #142 1 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating variants of concern, as of 22 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage1 BA.5* BA.2.75* BA.4.6* XBB* BA.2.3.20 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia Guam X X Japan X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X Mongolia X X X New Caledonia New Zealand X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X *Includes sub-variants Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 1 Based on sequences uploaded to Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) 6 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #142 1 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning • The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Strategic Communication • The work on the second wave of the Vaccine Confidence Survey is being finalized. The fieldwork has been completed in Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu and the results are to be discussed with Country Offices and respective Ministries. • The work with IPSOS on the COVID-19 perceptions and behavioral insights survey continues. The research proposal has been fully cleared by the WPRO Ethics Review Committee (ERC). The work on seeking local ethical clearances for all countries is still ongoing. The fieldwork in Lao PDR has started. • The work to support Solomon Islands with addressing the infodemic related to COVID-19 vaccination continues, the team has drafted the responses to circulating false claims related to vaccines. Messages for the public • On social media, published content on COVID-19 prevention during the Lunar New Year, combatting misinformation, reducing COVID-19 risk, and response updates from countries. • Top COVID-19 Facebook posts: - 6 ways to celebrate safely during the Lunar New Year (reach: 22,671) - Scaling up access to medical oxygen in Pacific Island countries (reach: 17,046) - When should you clean your hands? (reach: 12,649) • Top COVID-19 Twitter posts: - 6 ways to celebrate safely during the Lunar New Year (impressions: 267,758) - Help stop the spread of harmful misinformation (impressions: 168,318) - Protective measures you can take to celebrate safely (impressions: 110,108)
1 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #143 8 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 8 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Regional overview • As of 8 February 2023, 200 241 310 cases with 398 554 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing for the third consecutive week (Figures 1 and 2). • In the week from 1 to 7 February 2023, a total of 559 571 new cases with 5 770 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 15 countries and areas: Cambodia 5, China 173 8831, Cook Islands 5, Fiji 28, Guam 64, Japan 272 167, the Republic of Korea 100 249, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 21, Malaysia 1 761, Mongolia 12, New Zealand 7 604, Palau 1, the Philippines 725, Singapore 2 952, and Viet Nam 94. • Omicron Variant of Concern (VOC), BA.5, and its descendent lineages remain dominant across the Region. Weekly country situation updates • Decreasing trends in the number of daily cases, severe cases, and deaths continue in Japan. On 8 February 2023, a total of 398 daily severe cases and 200 daily deaths reported, representing 20% and 35% decrease compared with the previous week. As of 8 February, a total of 380 430 953 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Coverage of the Omicron-targeting booster is 42.7%. In epidemiological week 4 (23 to 29 January 2023), BA.5 (55%), BQ.1 (17.6%) and BF.7 (14%) remained dominant. • The number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths has continued to decline in China. On 6 February 2023, 1022 deaths, 2 0002 severe cases, and 60 0002 hospitalizations were reported, representing a 97.6%, 98.1%, and 96.3% decline respectively from the peak in early January 2023. The number of fever clinic visits peaked nationally (2.8 million) on 23 December 2022 and decreased by 95.2% to 137 0002 visits on 6 February 2023. As of 6 February, the number of fever clinic visits has decreased by 95.9% and 93.7% in urban and rural areas respectively. BA.5.2 (60.9%) and BF.7 (28.3%) Omicron lineages have been predominant. 1 This number includes information from Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China only 2 This number does not include information relating to Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China 2 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #143 8 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 8 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern and Omicron lineages in the Region • A total of 16 124 sequences from ten countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 23 January to 29 January 2023. • For week 4 (22 January to 29 January 2023) the distribution of VOC or Variants of Interest (VOI) among 10 countries and areas was 56% for BA.5, 15.6% for BF.7, 11% for BQ.1, 7% for BA.2.75 and 5.8% for BA.2. (Table 2). Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 39 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 25 January 2023) 24 425 274 surgical masks 5 645 804 particulate respirators 1 524 299 medical gowns 366 492 goggles 1 230 464 face shields 7 685 960 pairs of gloves 24 083 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 682 312 laboratory tests 1 924 884 point of care tests 3 693 460 swab kits 601 ICU ventilators 3 178 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 213 240 rapid antigen tests 3 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #143 8 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 8 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 8 February 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 8 February 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #143 8 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 8 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 1 February to 7 February 2023, as of 8 February 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (7-day average of cases) Days since last reported case American Samoa 01 (8 320) 01 (34) 0 0 Australia 01 (11 309 388) 01 (17 803) -2 627.29 0 Brunei Darussalam 01 (276 825) 01 (148) -229.29 0 Cambodia 5 (138 698) 0 (3 056) -1.57 0 China 173 883 (98 701 543) 3 814 (117 687) 222.14 0 Cook Islands 5 (7 021) 0 (2) -2.57 0 Fiji 28 (68 848) 0 (883) 2.29 0 French Polynesia 01 (77 957) 01 (649) 0 0 Guam 64 (50 755) 0 (416) -10.14 0 Japan 272 167 (32 805 072) 1671 (69 762) -12 719.71 0 Kiribati 01 (5008) 01 (18) -2.43 0 Korea, Republic of 100 249 (30297315) 160 (33 646) -8 037.29 0 Lao PDR 21 (217 990) 0 (758) -0.14 0 Malaysia 1 761 (5 038 354) 4 (36 946) 34.43 0 Marshall Islands 01 (15 584) 01 (17) 0 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 01 (22 676) 01 (58) 0 0 Mongolia 12 (1 007 884) 0 (2 136) 0.29 0 Nauru 01 (4 621) 01 (1) 0 0 New Caledonia 01 (79 981) 01 (314) -3.57 0 New Zealand 7 604 (2 144 266) 25 (2 502) -254.71 0 Niue 0 (747) 0 (0) -0.86 14 Northern Mariana Islands 01 (13 395) 01 (41) 0 0 Palau 1 (5 987) 0 (9) 0.14 0 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 750) 01 (670) 0 0 The Philippines 725 (4 073 980) 96 (65 875) -62.29 0 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 202 Samoa 01 (16 109) 01 (29) -3.14 0 Singapore 2 952 (2 220 062) 0 (1 722) 39.86 0 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 01 (153) 0 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0 56 Tonga 01 (16 779) 01 (12) -6.43 0 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 014) 0 (14) 0 38 Viet Nam 94 (11 526 591) 0 (43 186) -9.14 0 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 01 (7) 0 0 Total 559 571 (200 241 310) 5 770 (398 554) Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries and areas not reported in the 7-day period 5 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #143 8 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 8 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 29 January 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage1 BA.5* BA.2.75* BF.7* XBB* CH.1.1 BQ.1* XBF American Samoa X X X Australia X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X X Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X Mongolia X X New Caledonia New Zealand X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X *Includes sub-variants Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 1 Based on sequences uploaded to Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) 6 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #143 8 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 8 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning • The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Clinical Management • Ongoing work on regional IPC systems strengthening, including the development of a regional IPC coaching package and IPC scoping reviews in priority countries. Strategic Communication • The Regional Office continues to support WCOs and build risk communication capacity for topics such as message testing, crisis communication, and infodemic management. • Gathering of COVID-19 perceptions and behavioral insights through quantitative and qualitative research to inform decision-making is ongoing. Messages for the public • On social media, published content on discontinued posting of the COVID-19 cases and deaths table, COVID-19 prevention, and response updates from countries. • Top COVID-19 Facebook posts: - COVID-19 prevention and other preparations in Lao PDR to ensure the success of last year’s National Games - COVID-19 cases and deaths table will no longer be posted on WPRO social media channels - Wear a mask in these settings • Top COVID-19 Twitter posts: - Have you had your COVID-19 vaccine boosters? - Visit to Tuvalu outer islands during a COVID-19 outbreak in December 2022 - Wear a mask in these settings
1 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #144 15 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 15 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Regional overview • As of 15 February 2023, 200 680 557 cases with 401 690 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing for the fourth consecutive week (Figures 1 and 2). • In the week from 8 to 15 February 2023, a total of 421 088 new cases with 2 749 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 21 countries and areas: Brunei Darussalam 616, Cambodia 7, China 135 15711, Cook Islands 2, Fiji 16, Guam 41, Japan 185 772, Kiribati 4, the Republic of Korea 87 386, Lao People’s, Democratic Republic (PDR) 10, Malaysia 1 496, Marshall Islands 6, Mongolia 6, Nauru, 306, New Caledonia 26, New Zealand 7 272, Palau 1, Papua New Guinea 16, the Philippines 841, Singapore 1 944, and Viet Nam 163. • As of 15 February 2023, BA.5 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 49% of sequences Weekly country situation updates • Decreasing trends in the number of severe cases and deaths continue in Japan. On 15 February 2023, a total of 258 daily severe cases and 213 daily deaths reported, representing 63% and 58% decrease from the peak in mid-January 2023. The proportion of the hospital bed occupancy for severe COVID-19 has been decreased from 32% on 11 January 2023 to 15.5% on 8 February 2023. • The number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths has continued to decline in China. On 13 February 2023, 92 deaths, 1032 severe cases, and 26 0002 hospitalizations were reported, representing a 99.8%, 99.9%, and 98.4% decline respectively from the peak in early January 2023. The number of fever clinic visits peaked nationally (2.8 million) on 23 December 2022 and decreased by 95.5% to 128 0002 visits on 13 February 2023. As of 13 February, the number of fever clinic visits has decreased by 96% and 94.6% in urban and rural areas respectively. BA.5.2 (60.5%) and BF.7 (28.9%) Omicron lineages have been predominant. 1 This number includes information from Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China only 2 This number does not include information relating to Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China 2 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #144 15 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 15 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern and Omicron lineages in the Region • A total of 12 087 sequences from seven countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 30 January to 5 February 2023. • For week 5, the distribution of VOC or Variants of Interest (VOI) among seven countries and areas was 49% for BA.5, 15% for BF.7, 16.5% for BQ.1, and 11.3% for BA.2.75. Proportions of BQ.1 and BA.2.75 increased compared to the previous week. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 39 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 25 January 2023) 24 425 274 surgical masks 5 645 804 particulate respirators 1 524 299 medical gowns 366 492 goggles 1 230 464 face shields 7 685 960 pairs of gloves 24 083 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 682 312 laboratory tests 1 924 884 point of care tests 3 693 460 swab kits 601 ICU ventilators 3 178 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 213 240 rapid antigen tests 3 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #144 15 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 15 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 15 February 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 15 February 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #144 15 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 15 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 8 February to 14 February 2023, as of 15 February 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (7-day average of cases) Days since last reported case American Samoa 01 (8 320) 01 (34) 0 0 Australia 01 (11 326 032) 01 (18 190) -2 377.71 0 Brunei Darussalam 616 (277 441) 1 (149) 88 0 Cambodia 7 (138 705) 0 (3 056) -0.29 0 China 135 157 (98 836 691) 1 336 (119 023) -5531 0 Cook Islands 2 (7 023) 0 (2) -0.43 0 Fiji 16 (68 864) 0 (883) -1.71 0 French Polynesia 01 (77 957) 01 (649) 0 0 Guam 41 (50 796) 2 (418) -3.29 0 Japan 185 772 (32 990 844) 1 161 (70 923) -12 342.14 0 Kiribati 4 (5 012) 01 (18) -0.57 0 Korea, Republic of 87 386 (30 384 701) 136 (33 782) -1 837.57 0 Lao PDR 10 (218 000) 0 (758) -1.57 0 Malaysia 1 496 (5 039 850) 7 (36 953) -37.86 0 Marshall Islands 6 (15 590) 01 (17) 0.86 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 01 (23 671) 01 (58) 0 0 Mongolia 6 (1 007 890) 0 (2 136) -0.86 0 Nauru 306 (5 121) 0 (1) 25.57 0 New Caledonia 26 (80 007) 0 (314) 3.71 0 New Zealand 7 272 (2 151 538) 11 (2 513) -47.43 0 Niue 01 (747) 01 (0) 0 14 Northern Mariana Islands 01 (13 395) 01 (41) 0 0 Palau 1 (5 988) 0 (9) 0 0 Papua New Guinea 16 (46 792) 01 (670) 0 0 The Philippines 841 (4 074 821) 93 (65 968) 16.57 0 Pitcairn Islands 0 (4) 0 (0) 0 209 Samoa 01 (16 402) 01 (29) -0.71 0 Singapore 1 944 (2 222 006) 0 (1 722) -144 0 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 01 (153) 0 0 Tokelau 0 (5) 0 (0) 0 63 Tonga 01 (16 795) 01 (12) -2.29 0 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 014) 0 (14) 0 47 Viet Nam 163 (11 526 754) 0 (43 186) -9.86 0 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 01 (7) 0 0 Total 421 088 (200 680 557) 2 749 (401 690) Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries and areas not reported in the 7-day period 5 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #144 15 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 15 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 5 February 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage1 BA.5* BA.2.75* BF.7* XBB* CH.1.1 BQ.1* XBF American Samoa X X X Australia X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X X X Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X Mongolia X X New Caledonia New Zealand X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X *Includes sub-variants Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 1 Based on sequences uploaded to Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) 6 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #144 15 February 2023 Period of Report: As of 15 February 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning • The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Strategic Communication • Reviewed social media content for 2022 including various indicators of performance and drew lessons from the analysis. Messages for the public • On social media, published content on COVID-19 vaccination milestones, staying safe while travelling, COVID-19 and breastfeeding, and continuing to live life safely in the ongoing pandemic. • Top COVID-19 Facebook posts: - Tips to keep transport safe from COVID-19 - A woman with COVID-19 should be supported to breastfeed safely - You can get vaccinated against COVID-19 if you are breastfeeding • Top COVID-19 Twitter posts: - Tips to keep transport safe from COVID-19 - Live your life and stay safe from COVID-19 - You can get vaccinated against COVID-19 if you are breastfeeding
1 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #146 1 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Regional overview • As of 1 March 2023, 201 301 510 cases with 405 609 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing for the seventh consecutive week (Figures 1 and 2). • In the week from 23 February to 1 March 2023, a total of 255 942 new cases with 1 623 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 16 countries and areas: Brunei Darussalam 706, Cambodia 5, China 90 2871, Fiji 13, Guam 26, Japan 87 726, the Republic of Korea 67 155, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 3, Malaysia 1 433, Mongolia 1, New Caledonia 10, New Zealand 7 832, Palau 1, the Philippines 645, and Viet Nam 83. • As of 19 February 2023, BA.5 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 43.6% of sequences. Weekly country situation updates • Decreasing trends in the number of severe cases and deaths continue in Japan. On 28 February 2023, a total of 166 daily severe cases and 67 daily deaths were reported, representing a 76% and 78% decrease from the peak in mid-January 2023. The proportion of hospital bed occupancy for severe COVID-19 has decreased from 32% on 11 January 2023 to 9% on 23 February 2023. • The number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths has continued to decline in China. On 13 February 2023, 82 deaths, and 145 0002 hospitalizations were reported, representing a 99.9%, and 99.1% decline respectively from the peak in early January 2023. The number of fever clinic visits peaked nationally (2.8 million) on 23 December 2022 and decreased by 94.9% to 147 0002 visits on 23 February 2023. BA.5.2 (60.5%) and BF.7 (28.9%) Omicron lineages have been predominant. 1 This number includes information from Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China only. 2 This number does not include information relating to Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China 2 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #146 1 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern and Omicron lineages in the Region • A total of 11 112 sequences from nine countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 13 to 19 February 2023. • For week 7 (13 to 19 February 2023) the distribution of VOC or Variants of Interest (VOI) among the nine countries and areas was 43.6% for BA.5, 12% for BQ.1, 10% for BF.7, 11.8% for BA.2.75 and 6.3% for XBF. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 40 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 1 March 2023) 37 879 374 surgical masks 6 398 719 particulate respirators 1 828 399 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 334 884 face shields 8 984 460 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 2 033 649 point of care tests 3 741 910 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #146 1 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 1 March 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 1 March 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #146 1 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 22 February to 28 February 2023, as of 1 March 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (7-day average of cases) American Samoa 01 (8320) 01 (34) 0 Australia 01 (11 362 275) 01 (19 370) 0 Brunei Darussalam 706 (278 698) 0 (150) -179.57 Cambodia 5 (138 717) 0 (3 056) -0.29 China 90 287 (99 040 344) 355 (119 911) -3 298.43 Cook Islands 01 (7 028) 01 (2) -0.71 Fiji 13 (68 889) 0 (883) 0.14 French Polynesia 01 (77 957) 01 (649) 0 Guam 26 (50 858) 0 (420) -1.43 Japan 87 726 (33 205 088) 578 (72 387) -5 541.71 Kiribati 01 (5 013) 01 (18) -0.14 Korea, Republic of 67 155 (30 526 012) 101 (33 988) -1 000.14 Lao PDR 3 (218 015) 0 (758) -1.29 Malaysia 1 433 (5 042 791) 1 (36 958) -10.71 Marshall Islands 01 (15 618) 01 (17) 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 01 (23 948) 01 (61) 0 Mongolia 1 (1 007 897) 0 (2 136) -0.14 Nauru 01 (5 247) 01 (1) -18 New Caledonia 10 (80 017) 0 (314) 1.43 New Zealand 7 832 (2 166 470) 8 (2 542) 104.57 Niue 01 (747) 01 (0) 0 Northern Mariana Islands 01 (13 395) 01 (41) 0 Palau 1 (5 989) 0 (9) 0.14 Papua New Guinea 16 (46 825) 0 (670) -0.14 The Philippines 645 (4 076 307) 72 (66 111) -19.86 Pitcairn Islands 0 (4) 0 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 418) 01 (29) -0.43 Singapore 01 (2 226 099) 01 (1 722) -584.71 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 0 (5) 0 (0) 0 Tonga 01 (16 807) 01 (12) -0.86 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 014) 0 (14) 0 Viet Nam 83 (11 526 917) 0 (43 186) 0.43 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 01 (7) 0 Total 255 942 (201 301 510) 1 116 (405 609) Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries and areas not reported in the 7-day period. 5 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #146 1 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 19 February 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage1 BA.5* BA.2.75* BF.7* XBB* CH.1.1 BQ.1* XBF American Samoa X X X Australia X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X X X Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X Mongolia X X New Caledonia New Zealand X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X *Includes sub-variants Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 1 Based on sequences uploaded to Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) 6 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #146 1 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 1 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning • The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Partner Coordination • GOARN orientation webinar at CREED meeting, Singapore o CREED “Clinical, Research, Epidemiology, Education and Diagnostics”, a bi-monthly platform that is used to provide updates or work on infectious disease topics of current or future interest and importance. The session took place on 28 Feb 2023 virtually. • GOARN strategy 2022 -2026 launch o Hosted by the UK Health Security Agency. This session took place on Feb 28 in a hybrid format. Messages for the public • On social media, published content on post-COVID conditions (“long COVID”), health workers and their contribution to COVID-19 response, the definition of PHIEC, and how we can end the global health emergency. • Top COVID-19 Facebook posts: o Thank you to health workers who travel long distances, in all sorts of weather, to vaccinate people against #COVID19 and other diseases. o This week, hospital sterilization equipment procured by @WHO will be delivered to healthcare facilities across Lao PDR. o WHO released a clinical care definition for post-#COVID19 condition or #LongCOVID in children. • Top COVID-19 Twitter posts: o We can end the global health emergency of COVID in 2023. o Thank you to health workers who travel long distances, in all sorts of weather, to vaccinate people against #COVID19 and other diseases. o This week, hospital sterilization equipment procured by @WHO will be delivered to healthcare facilities across Lao PDR.
1 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #148 27 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Regional overview • As of 27 March 2023, 201 762 561 cases with 408 682 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing since mid-January 2023 and have stabilized since mid-March 2023 (Figures 1 and 2). • In the previous 14 days, a total of 340 706 new cases with 1 269 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 26 countries and areas: American Samoa 3, Brunei Darussalam 2 555, Cambodia 3, China 69 8171, Cook Islands 4, Fiji 13, French Polynesia 52, Guam 62, Japan 98 263, the Republic of Korea 134 531, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 10, Malaysia 1 848, Marshall islands 74, Micronesia (Federated States of) 442, Mongolia 4, Nauru 37, New Caledonia 15, New Zealand 19 762, Northern Mariana Islands 26, Palau 3, Papua New Guinea 9, the Philippines 2 287, Samoa 248, Singapore 10 464, Tonga 1, and Viet Nam 173. • As of 18 March 2023, BA.5 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 49.5% of sequences. Biweekly country situation updates • Decreasing trends in the number of severe cases and deaths continue in Japan. On 28 March 2023, a total of 67 daily severe cases and 27 daily deaths were reported, representing a 90% and 93% decrease from the peak in mid-January 2023. The proportion of hospital bed occupancy for severe COVID-19 has decreased from 32% on 11 January 2023 to 4% on 22 March 2023. • The number of cases and hospitalizations has continued to decline in China. On 23 March 2023, 52 severe cases, and 5,8812 hospitalizations were reported, representing a 99.9%, and 99.6% decline respectively from the peak in early January 2023. No deaths were reported in hospitals between 24 February and 23 March 2023.2 The number of fever clinic visits peaked nationally (2.8 million) on 23 December 2022 and decreased by 84.1% to 455,0002 visits on 23 March 2023. Recent increases in influenza-like illness appear to be associated with increases in influenza rather than COVID-19. BA.5.2.48 (49.5%) and BF.7.14 (26.9%) Omicron lineages have been predominant. • An increase in cases has been reported in Federates States of Micronesia, primarily in the Outer Islands of Yap State. The Outer Islands of Yap State reported their first COVID-19 cases in January 2023, and a surge in infections has been reported through March 2023. There are no indications of increasing severe cases and no deaths reported. 1 This number includes information from Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China only. 2 This number does not include information relating to Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, and Taiwan, China 2 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #148 27 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) • An increasing trend of COVID-19 cases has been observed in Singapore. This increase has been accompanied by a small increase in severe cases. From 12 March to 18 March 2023, 218 new hospitalized cases were reported, and seven new cases admitted to ICU. SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region • A total of 8 997 sequences from 10 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 5 March to 18 March 2023. • For weeks 10 and 11 (5 March to 18 March 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 10 countries and areas was 49.5% for BA.5, 12.3% for BA.2.75, 10.6% for BQ.1, 7.4% for XBB and 5.3% for XBB.1.5. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #148 27 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 28 March 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 28 March 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #148 27 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 13 March to 27 March 2023, as of 28 March 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 3 (8 324) 0 (34) 0.14 Australia 01 (11 077 631) 01 (19 511) -2 801.93 Brunei Darussalam 2 555 (283 345) 0 (150) 33.07 Cambodia 3 (138 723) 0 (3 056) -0.14 China 69 817 (99 238 143) 384 (120 894) -5 444.14 Cook Islands 4 (7 037) 0 (2) -0.07 Fiji 13 (68 911) 0 (883) 0.29 French Polynesia 52 (78 153) 0 (649) -0.43 Guam 62 (50 982) 0 (415) -0.79 Japan 98 263 (33 421 785) 548 (73 747) -2 878.07 Kiribati 0 (5 014) 0 (18) -0.07 Korea, Republic of 134 531 (30 773 460) 108 (34 223) -106.71 Lao PDR 10 (218 033) 0 (758) 0.07 Malaysia 1 848 (5 047 040) 5 (36 972) -67.79 Marshall Islands 74 (15 723) 0 (17) 3.07 Micronesia (Federated States of) 442 (25 703) 0 (63) -56.71 Mongolia 4 (1 007 911) 0 (2 136) -0.43 Nauru 37 (5 393) 0 (1) -2.5 New Caledonia 15 (80 032) 0 (314) 0.36 New Zealand 19 762 (2 206 394) 102 (2 662) -28.57 Niue 0 (747) 0 (0) 0 Northern Mariana Islands 26 (13 748) 0 (41) -3.36 Palau 3 (5 997) 0 (9) -0.14 Papua New Guinea 9 (46 835) 0 (670) 0.5 The Philippines 2 287 (4 080 182) 122 (66 332) 38.14 Pitcairn Islands 0 (4) 0 (0) 0 Samoa 248 (16 675) 0 (31) 17.71 Singapore 10 464 (2 255 812) 0 (1 722) -308.14 Solomon Islands 0 (24 575) 0 (153) 0 Tokelau 0 (5) 0 (0) 0 Tonga 1 (16 814) 0 (12) -0.14 Tuvalu 0 (2 779) 0 (0) 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 014) 0 (14) 0 Viet Nam 173 (11 527 210) 0 (43 186) 2.64 Wallis and Futuna 0 (3 427) 0 (7) 0 Total 340 706 (201 764 561) 1 269 (408 682) -11 604.14 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries and areas did not report in the 14-day period. 5 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #148 27 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 18 March 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage1 BA.5* BA.2.75* BF.7* XBB^ XBB.1.5 CH.1.1 BQ.1* XBF American Samoa X X X Australia X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X X X X Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia Guam X X X X Japan X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X Mongolia X X New Caledonia New Zealand X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5. XBB.1.5 is a Variant of Interest and is reported separately. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 1 Based on sequences uploaded to Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) 6 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #148 27 March 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 March 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Strategic Communication • Designing new COVID-19 Risk communications focusing on promoting the implementation of risk- based Public Health and Social Measures (PHSM) targeting the public. Messages for the public • On social media, published content on encouraging people to keep up with PHSM, as well as getting vaccine/boosters for high-risk populations and about long COVID. o Facebook When should you wear a mask? #COVID19 is still around. Help protect friends and family who are most at risk of severe COVID-19 by encouraging them to get all of their vaccine or booster doses. If you can, stay home if you feel unwell or need to isolate or quarantine. This is critical to breaking the chains of infection transmission. o Twitter When should you wear a mask? #COVID19 is still around. Help protect friends and family who are most at risk of severe COVID-19 by encouraging them to get all of their vaccine or booster doses. When should you keep your distance to help prevent #COVID19?
1 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #149 10 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 11 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Regional overview • As of 10 April 2023, 202 153 158 cases with 409 585 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing since mid-January 2023 and has stabilized since mid-March 2023 (Figures 1 and 2). • In the previous 14 days, a total of 324 350 new cases with 618 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 19 countries and areas: Australia 27 266, Brunei Darussalam 2 676, Cambodia 3, China 1 109, Cook Islands 5, Fiji 3, Guam 35, Japan 102 142, the Republic of Korea 144 600, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 4, Malaysia 3 069, Marshall islands 290, Mongolia 32, New Caledonia 20, New Zealand 10 653, Papua New Guinea 2, the Philippines 3 496, Singapore 28 410, and Viet Nam 535. • As of 1 April 2023, BA.5 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 32.4% of sequences. Biweekly country situation updates • A slight increase in daily COVID-19 cases has been observed in the Philippines in April. Between 27 March and 9 April 2023, 3,476 cases were reported nationally, a 53% increase from the previous two weeks. This increase in cases has been accompanied by a slight increase in hospitalizations, which remain relatively low at 15.8% bed occupancy. • An increasing trend of COVID-19 cases has been observed in Viet Nam in the past two weeks. From 3 April to 9 April, 418 cases were reported compared to the previous week of 116. Ha Noi accounts for approximately 47% of these cases. This increase in cases has been accompanied by an increase in hospitalizations. The number of severe cases remains low, and zero COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Viet Nam since 31 December 2022. • Singapore continues to report an increase in weekly COVID-19 cases, which reported nearly double the number of cases between 27 March to 2 April 2023 compared to the previous week (97% increase). Severe cases have also increased; from 27 March to 2 April 2023, 339 new hospitalized cases were reported, and four cases admitted to ICU. 2 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #149 10 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 11 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region • A total of 8 987 sequences from 11 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 19 March to 1 April 2023. • For weeks 12 and 13 (19 March to 1 April 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 11 countries and areas was 32.4% for BA.5, 11.5% for BA.2.75, 11.5% for XBB.1.5, 10.8% for XBB and 7.8% for BQ.1. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 10 April 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #149 10 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 11 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 10 April 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 10 April 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #149 10 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 11 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 27 March 2023 to 10 April 2023, as of 11 April 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 326) 0 (34) -0.36 Australia 27 2661 (11 077 631) 371 (19 906) -1 541.57 Brunei Darussalam 2 676 (284 632) 0 (153) 27.21 Cambodia 3 (138 726) 0 (3 056) 0 China 1 1092 (99 239 252) 112(120 905) -4 907.71 Cook Islands 5 (7 042) 0 (2) 0.07 Fiji 3 (68 914) 0 (883) -0.71 French Polynesia 0 (78 219) 0 (649) -8.43 Guam 35 (51 017) 0 (415) -1.93 Japan 102 142 (33 523 927) 349 (74 096) 277.07 Kiribati 01 (5 014) 01 (18) 0 Korea, Republic of 144 600 (30 918 060) 99 (34 332) 719.21 Lao PDR 4 (218 037) 0 (641) -0.43 Malaysia 3 069 (5 052 337) 3 (36 982) -71.93 Marshall Islands 290 (16 013) 0 (17) 15.43 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 (25 703) 0 (63) -31.57 Mongolia 32 (1 007 943) 0 (2 136) 2.0 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) -2.64 New Caledonia 20 (80 052) 0 (314) 0.36 New Zealand 10 653 (2 217 047) 25 (2 687) -650.64 Niue 01 (747) 0 (0) 0 Northern Mariana Islands 0 (13 748) 01 (41) -3.64 Palau 0 (5 997) 0 (9) -0.21 Papua New Guinea 2 (46 837) 0 (670) -0.5 The Philippines 3 496 (4 083 678) 83 (66 420) 86.36 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 675) 01 (31) -17.71 Singapore 28410 (2 298 689) 0 (1 722) 248.5 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0 Tonga 0 (16 814) 0 (12) -0.07 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 014) 0 (14) 0 Viet Nam 535 (11 527 745) 0 (43 186) 25.86 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 01 (7) 0 Total 324 350 (202 153 158) 607 (409 585) -5 838.0 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries and areas did not report in the 14-day period. 2 Some territories/areas did not report for 14-day period. 5 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #149 10 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 11 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 1 April 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage1 BA.5* BA.2.75* BF.7* XBB^ XBB.1.5 CH.1.1 BQ.1* XBF American Samoa X X X Australia X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X X X X Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia Guam X X X X Japan X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X New Caledonia New Zealand X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5. XBB.1.5 is a Variant of Interest and is reported separately. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 1 Based on sequences uploaded to Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) 6 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #149 10 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 11 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Strategic Communication The Regional Office continues to support COVID-19 strategic communications in countries and areas across the Region, including developing health messages and campaigns, monitoring and responding to mis-and disinformation through social listening, gathering behavioural insights and media relations. Messages for the public • On social media, published posts about public health and safety measures, post-COVID condition, vaccination and staying safe during holidays like Ramadan and Easter. • Facebook o With important celebrations coming up, like #Easter, #Eid and #PiMai, it's important that we #CelebrateSafely as #COVID19 continues to circulate. If you’re a leader in your community, encourage others to stay safe while celebrating with family and friends. o Children 🧒👦🏿🧒🏻 under 5 are at greater risk of severe disease or complications following infection with influenza. During the #COVID19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to protect children from #flu. o Post COVID-19 condition can affect people of all ages, including those who had only mild or no symptoms during their initial COVID-19 infection. However, the risk is higher for people who have suffered from severe #COVID19. • Twitter o Sadly, people are still getting ill and dying from #COVID19 every week. It’s important to assess your risk based on where you are, what you’re doing, your health and vaccination status, and take appropriate protective measures. #LiveLifeSafely o With important celebrations coming up, like #Easter, it's important that we #CelebrateSafely as #COVID19 continues to circulate. If you’re a leader in your community, encourage others to stay safe while celebrating with family and friends. o Post COVID-19 condition can affect people of all ages, including those who had only mild or no symptoms during their initial COVID-19 infection. However, the risk is higher for people who have suffered from severe #COVID19.
1 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #150 24 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 24 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (the Regional Office) encourages Member States to continue to suppress transmission of COVID-19 in order to avoid exceeding health system capacities and to protect vulnerable populations. A risk-based approach using the following tools is recommended: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response, and international border measures. Regional overview As of 24 April 2023, 202 621 191 cases with 410 281 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing since mid-January 2023 and have stabilized since mid- March 2023 with a slight increase over the past 3 weeks (Figures 1 and 2). In the previous 14 days, a total of 405 811 new cases with 582 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 22 countries and areas: Australia 28 365, Brunei Darussalam 2 178, Cambodia 5, China 3 368, Cook Islands 9, Fiji 1, French Polynesia 39, Guam 85, Japan 123 972, Kiribati 11, the Republic of Korea 165 526, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 32, Malaysia 9 966, Mongolia 27, New Caledonia 5, New Zealand 23 798, Northern Mariana Islands 15, Palau 2, Papua New Guinea 1, the Philippines 5 032, Singapore 26 072, and Viet Nam 17 032. • As of 15 April 2023, BA.5 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 53.4% of sequences. The XBB.1.16, now designated a variant under interest as of 17 April 2023, accounts for 1.9% of sequences submitted in the region. Biweekly country situation updates • Viet Nam continues to report a large increase in cases. From 10 April to 23 April, 17 032 cases were reported compared to the previous two weeks, in which Viet Nam reported 532 cases. With this influx of cases, hospitalizations have increased. The number of severe cases remains low, and two deaths have been reported over the past month. • An increasing trend in cases and hospitalizations has been observed in Malaysia. Between 13 March through 26 March, 5 297 cases were reported, which increased to 9 723 reported cases between 27 March and 9 April. Hospitalizations in Malaysia also have been increasing since mid-March. A 48% increase in hospitalizations was observed between 27 March and 9 April compared to the previous two weeks. SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 18 591 sequences from 9 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 2 April to 15 April 2023. 2 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #150 24 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 24 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) For weeks 12 and 13 (2 April to 15 April 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 9 countries and areas was 53.4% for BA.5, 7.2% for XBB*, 6.9% for XBB.1.5, 6.3% for BA.2, 4.2% for BA.2.75, 3.7% for CH.1.1, 3.1% for BQ.1, and 1.9% for XBB.1.16. *XBB accounts for all XBB apart from the variants of interest: XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #150 24 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 24 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 24 April 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 24 April 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #150 24 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 24 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 10 April 2023 to 23 April 2023, as of 24 April 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 01 (8 329) 01 (34) -0.21 Australia 28 3651 (11 210 651) 971 (20 119) -1 833.14 Brunei Darussalam 2 1781 (286 610) 21 (155) -35.57 Cambodia 5 (138 731) 0 (3 056) 014 China 3 3681 (99 244 445) 181 (120 923) 73.14 Cook Islands 91 (7 059) 01 (2) -0.29 Fiji 11 (68 918) 01 (883) -0.36 French Polynesia 391 (78 417) 01 (649) -8.57 Guam 851 (51 110) 01 (413) 3.0 Japan 123 972 (33 647 899) 280 (74 376) 1559.29 Kiribati 111 (5 025) 61 (24) 0.79 Korea, Republic of 165 526 (31 083 586) 95 (34 427) 1494.71 Lao PDR 32 (218 069) 0 (641) 2.0 Malaysia 9 966 (5 066 877) 29 (37 011) 165.93 Marshall Islands 01 (16 081) 01 (17) -25.57 Micronesia (Federated States of) 01 (26 049) 11 (64) -24.71 Mongolia 271 (1 007 993) 01 (2 136) -0.14 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0 New Caledonia 51 (80 057) 01 (314) -1.07 New Zealand 23 394 (2 240 441) 0 (2 716) 207.29 Niue 01 (747) 0 (0) 0 Northern Mariana Islands 15 (13 814) 01 (41) -0.79 Palau 21 (5 999) 01 (9) 0.14 Papua New Guinea 11 (46 838) 01 (670) -0.07 The Philippines 5302 (4 088 985) 24 (66 444) 130.07 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 737) 01 (31) -4.43 Singapore 26 072 (2 340 779) 0 (1 722) -1311.14 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0 Tonga 0 1 (16 814) 01 (12) 0 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0 Vanuatu 01 (12 014) 01 (14) 0 Viet Nam 17 032 (11 544 778) 0 (43 187) 1178.29 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 01 (7) 0 Total 405 811 (202 621 191) 582 (410 281) 1543.57 5 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #150 24 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 24 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 15 April 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage3 BA.5* BA.2.75* BF.7* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 CH.1.1 BQ.1* XBF American Samoa X X X Australia X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X X X X X Guam X X X X Japan X X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 (Variants of Interest) and reported separately. GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #150 24 April 2023 Period of Report: As of 24 April 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Strategic Communication The Regional Office continues to support COVID-19 strategic communications in countries and areas across the Region, including developing health messages and campaigns, monitoring and responding to mis-and disinformation through social listening, gathering behavioural insights and media relations. Messages for the public • On social media, published posts about public health and safety measures, post-COVID condition, vaccination and staying safe during holidays like Ramadan and Easter. • Facebook o Children 🧒👦🏿🧒🏻 under 5 are at greater risk of severe disease or complications following infection with influenza. During the #COVID19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to protect children from #flu. o Post COVID-19 condition can affect people of all ages, including those who had only mild or no symptoms during their initial COVID-19 infection. However, the risk is higher for people who have suffered from severe #COVID19. o • Twitter o Sadly, people are still getting ill and dying from #COVID19 every week. It’s important to assess your risk based on where you are, what you’re doing, your health and vaccination status, and take appropriate protective measures. #LiveLifeSafely o Post COVID-19 condition can affect people of all ages, including those who had only mild or no symptoms during their initial COVID-19 infection. However, the risk is higher for people who have suffered from severe #COVID19.
1 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #151 5 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 5 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy On 5 May 2023, the WHO Director-General declared that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a Public Health of international Concern (PHEIC) and that it is no longer a global health emergency. Despite the termination of the (PHEIC), COVID-19 remains a global health threat. This means that it is time for those Member States who have not already done so, to shift from emergency mode to the sustained management of COVID-19 taking a risk-based approach using the following recommended tools: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response and international border measures. Regional overview As of 8 May 2023, 203 172 588 cases with 411 146 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been increasing for the past four weeks following a decline in the region since mid-January 2023 (Figures 1 and 2). In the previous 14 days, a total of 489 601 new cases with 633new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 24 countries and areas: Australia 28 371, Brunei Darussalam 4 543, Cambodia 4, China 7 160, Cook Islands 8, Fiji 3, French Polynesia 70, Guam 130, Japan 145 530, the Republic of Korea 202 324, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 16, Malaysia 12 559, Federated States of Micronesia 373, Mongolia 39, New Caledonia 1, New Zealand 20 789, Northern Mariana Islands 10, Palau 1, Papua New Guinea 11, the Philippines 13 823, Samoa 26, Singapore 22 651, Tonga 2, and Viet Nam 31 105. As of 29 April 2023, BA.5 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 23.8% of sequences. This variant continues to decline in the proportion of sequenced cases in the region as multiple XBB variants increase (including XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16). Biweekly country situation updates • The Philippines continues to report an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations. Between 24 April and 7 April, 13 823 cases were reported in the Philippines a 160% increase from the previous 14 day period. A rise in hospitalisations has also been observed over the past four weeks. Nationally, COVID-19 bed occupancy is at 20% and 27% within the National Capital Region, which accounts for the largest proportion of cases. Reported deaths have remained low during this time period. • Increasing trends in the number of cases and hospitalisations continue in Malaysia. In the first week of May, 7 596 cases were reported, including 18 deaths. 2 363 new hospitalizations were reported over this week and as of 9 April, hospital utilization rate was 75%. Between 16 and 29 April, over 53% of sequenced cases were identified as an XBB lineage, including XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, XBB.1.9.1 and XBB.1.9.2. • The number of cases continues to rise in Brunei Darussalam. As of 9 May, the country reported 11 454 cases over the previous two weeks, a 395% increase compared to the previous two-week period. The number of new cases admitted to the ICU has also increased but remains low; in the same two-week period, 12 ICU cases were reported. This is up from 2 cases being admitted between 3 April to 16 April 2023. 2 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #151 5 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 5 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) • Viet Nam has reported an increasing trend in cases for the past five weeks. Within the past two weeks, the country has reported 31 105 cases. This is an 83% increase in cases compared to the two weeks prior, in which 17 032 cases were reported. Nine deaths have been reported in the past 14 days. Hospitalizations continue to rise, however, no health care strain has been observed. In response, vaccination and risk communication campaigns have been rolled out at the national and subnational levels. New public health and social measures have also been implemented in some areas, including mask wearing in some settings. SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 8 074 sequences from 9 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 16 to 29 April to 2023. For weeks 16 and 17 (16 to 29 April 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 9 countries and areas was 23.8% for BA.5, 16.9% for XBB.1.5, 11.3% for XBB.1.9.1, 10.2% for XBB, 9.0% for XBB.1.16, 5.5% for BA.2.75, 5.0% for BQ.1 and 4.2% for XBB.1.9.2. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #151 5 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 5 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 8 May 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 8 May 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #151 5 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 5 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Member States with lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, 24 April 2023 to 7 May 2023, as of 8 April 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 331) 0 (34) 0 Australia 28 3711 (11 270 821) 421 (20 393) -2 196.14 Brunei Darussalam 4 593 (292 644) 3 (158) 163 Cambodia 4 (138 735) 0 (3 056) -0.07 China 7 1602(99 252 425) 922(121 015) 213.14 Cook Islands 81 (7 067) 01 (2) -0.07 Fiji 31 (68 921) 01 (883) 0.14 French Polynesia 701 (78 518) 01 (649) 0 Guam 130 (51 240) 0 (413) 3.21 Japan 145 530 (33 793 429) 278 (74 654) 1 539.86 Kiribati 01 (5 014) 01 (18) -0.79 Korea, Republic of 202 324 (31 285 910) 107 (34 534) 2 628.43 Lao PDR 16 (218 082) 0 (641) -1.14 Malaysia 12 559 (5 079 436) 17 (37 028) 185.21 Marshall Islands 01 (16 081) 01 (17) 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 373 (26 453) 0 (64) 24.43 Mongolia 39 (1 008 038) 0 (2 136) -1.21 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0 New Caledonia 1 (80 058) 0 (314) -0.29 New Zealand 20 789 (2 272 229) 76 (2 792) -214.93 Niue 01 (747) 01 (0) 0 Northern Mariana Islands 10 (13 849) 01 (41) -2.14 Palau 11(6 000) 01(9) -0.07 Papua New Guinea 11 (46 849) 0 (670) 0.71 The Philippines 13 823 (4 102 788) 9 (66 453) 608.64 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 261(16 763) 01(31) 1.86 Singapore 22 651 (2 391 248) 0 (1 722) -2 231.36 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0 Tonga 21 (16 816) 01 (12) 0.14 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0 Vanuatu 01 (12 016) 01 (14) -0.14 Viet Nam 31 105 (11 575 883) 9 (43 196) 1 005.21 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 01 (7) 0 Total 489 601 (203 172 588) 633 (411 146) 1 725.79 1 Data was not reported for the complete 14-day period. 2 Data was only reported from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong SAR, China and Macao SAR, China 5 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #151 5 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 5 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 8 April 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage3 BA.5* BA.2.75* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 XBB.1.9.1 XBB.1.9.2 CH.1.1 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X China X X X X X X X X X Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X X X X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5. XBB.1.5 is a Variant of Interest and is reported separately. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #151 5 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 5 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and Planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Strategic Communication The Regional Office supported the Philippines Country Office on the Crisis Communication and Infodemic Management Workshop for the Department of Health. The Regional Office continues to support COVID-19 strategic communications in countries and areas across the Region, including developing health messages and campaigns, monitoring and responding to mis-and disinformation through social listening, gathering behavioural insights and media relations. Messages for the Public • On social media, published posts about public health and safety measures and post-COVID condition as well as tie-in messages with World Days. • Facebook o #LiveLifeSafely. Here are ways employers and staff can help keep everyone safe from #COVID19 in the workplace. o Children 🧒👦🏿🧒🏻 under 5 are at greater risk of severe disease or complications following infection with influenza. During the #COVID19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to protect children from #flu. o Get your vaccine or booster dose — especially if you are at high risk of severe disease and death from #COVID19 — to protect yourself and your loved ones. • Twitter o Keep learnings from the #COVID19 pandemic in mind: protect yourself and others from infection by cleaning your hands. o Cases of #COVID19 are on the rise in the Region. Make safe choices and assess your risk to help prevent infection. o You can prevent post #COVID19 condition by taking measures to prevent the infection.
1 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy On 5 May 2023, the WHO Director-General declared that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a Public Health of international Concern (PHEIC) and that it is no longer a global health emergency. Despite the termination of the (PHEIC), COVID-19 remains a global health threat. This means that it is time for those Member States who have not already done so, to shift from emergency mode to the sustained management of COVID-19 taking a risk-based approach using the following recommended tools: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response and international border measures. Regional overview As of 22 May 2023, 203 669 467 cases with 411 963 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing over the past two weeks after several weeks of increasing cases (Figures 1 and 2). This trend, however, should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing and sequencing, alongside a lack of reporting and delays in many countries. In the previous 14 days, a total of 411 963 new cases with 521 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 21 countries and areas: Australia 35 525, Brunei Darussalam 4 214, Cambodia 5, China 9 387, Cook Islands 39, French Polynesia 24, Guam 187, Japan 10 143, the Republic of Korea 262 173, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 111, Malaysia 15 012, Mongolia 390, New Zealand 23 330, Northern Mariana Islands 24, Papua New Guinea 12, the Philippines 24 840, Singapore 24 296, Viet Nam 26 855 and Wallis and Futuna 81. As of 16 May 2023, XBB.1.16 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 19.3% of sequences in region. XBB.1.5 became a variant under interest on 16 April and continues to increase in proportion among sequenced cases. This is the first time in several months that BA.5 did not account for the highest proportion of cases in the region. Biweekly country situation updates • Mongolia has reported a rise in cases and hospitalizations over the past four weeks. Within the first week of May, the country reported 390 cases, ten times as many as the weekly reported cases two weeks prior. Hospitalizaitons also continue to rise, however, no reports of hospital strains have been observed. Additionally, no deaths have been reported since December 2022. • Some increasing trends in cases have been observed in some Pacific Island Countries, including Tokelau, which reported three new cases in the past week, all traced back to a ship. These cases are isolated and the government implemented some public health and social measures in response. Guam, Niue and are also reporting small rises in cases, however, case counts remain low. Since the start of the pandemic, no deaths have been reported in Pitcairn Islands or Tokelau, and Guam has not reported any deaths since January 2023. 2 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) • Following several weeks of increasing case trends, Viet Nam has reported a declining number of cases over the past three weeks. The 14-day daily case average was 1 918 during the first two weeks of May, a 13% decrease compared to the final two weeks in April. Hospitalizations also peaked in late April, with 2 596 hospitalizations reported on 28 April. An overall decreasing trend has been observed through May and as of 22 May, 493 hospitalized cases were reported. Death continue to remain low; Viet Nam has reported 7 within the past two weeks. SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 7 044 sequences from 9 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 16 April to 6 May 2023. For weeks 12 and 13 (16 April to 6 May 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 8 countries and areas was 19.3% for XBB.1.5, 17.0% for XBB.1.16, 15.2% for XBB.1.9.1, 15.0% for BA.5, 6.2% for XBB, 5.6% for XBB.2.3, 4.5% for BA.2.75 and 3.3% for BQ.1. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 22 May 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 22 May 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 8 May to 21 May 2023, as of 22 May 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 331) 0 (34) -0.14 Australia 35 5251 (11 339 196) 341 (20 393) -1 835.43 Brunei Darussalam 4 214 (303 719) 31(161) -517.14 Cambodia 5 (138 ) 0 (3 056) -0.07 China 9 3871(99 261 812) 1291 (121 144) 159.07 Cook Islands 39 (7 106) 0 (2) 2.21 Fiji 0 (68 921) 0 (883) -0.21 French Polynesia 24 (78 569) 0 (649) -5.21 Guam 187 (51 427) 0 (413) 4.07 Japan 10 1432 (33 803 572) 402 (74 694) -9 670.50 Kiribati 21 (5 027) 01 (24) 0.14 Korea, Republic of 262 173(31 548 083) 153 (34 687) 4 274.93 Lao PDR 111 (218 196) 0 (641) 6.79 Malaysia 15 012 (5 094 448) 42 (37 070) 175.21 Marshall Islands 0 (16 081) 0 (17) 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 (26 453) 1 (65) -26.64 Mongolia 390 (1 008 655) 0 (2 136) 8.86 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0 New Caledonia 01 (80 058) 01 (314) -0.07 New Zealand 23 330 (2 295 559) 101 (2 893) 181.5 Niue 551 (802) 01 (0) 3.93 Northern Mariana Islands 241 (13 896) 01 (41) -0.64 Palau 01 (6 000) 01 (9) -0.07 Papua New Guinea 131 (46 864) 01 (670) -0.14 The Philippines 24 840 (4 127 628) 13 (66 466) 786.93 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 763) 01 (31) -1.86 Singapore 24 296 (2 438 690) 0 (1 722) -1 553.21 Solomon Islands 01 (24 575) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0 Tonga 0 (16 817) 0 (12) -0.21 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0 Vanuatu 0 (12 016) 0 (14) 0 Viet Nam 26 855 (11 602 738) 7 (43 203) -303.57 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 427) 01 (7) 0 Total 436 705 (203 669 467) 521 (411 963) -8 305.57 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries reported no or partial data for the 14-day period 2 Japan no longer reports case numbers as of 8 May 2023. 5 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 22 May 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage3 BA.5* BA.2.75* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 XBB.1.9.1 XBB.1.9.2 CH.1.1 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X X X X X X Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X X X X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5. XBB.1.5 is a Variant of Interest and is reported separately. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and Planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Partner Coordination The Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN) Strategy Implementation Workshop and the 33rd GOARN Steering Committee meeting was held from 8 May to 12 May 2023 in Amman, Jordan. The primary aim of the GOARN Strategy Implementation Workshop was to prioritize activities according to four strategic themes. Participants developed collaborative plans to support the global and regional outbreak preparedness, readiness and response activities. The 33rd GOARN Steering Committee reflected on the challenges and opportunities for GOARN in a 2023 context, clarified GOARN governance structure and membership, and applied discussions from the strategy workshop to decision making and execution by GOARN partners. For the first time, the first day of the Steering Committee was open for observation by attendees of the Strategy Implementation Workshop. The Western Pacific was represented by nine partners from five Member States: Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, and Fiji. Strategic Communication The Regional Office continues to support COVID-19 strategic communications in countries and areas across the Region, including developing health messages and campaigns, monitoring and responding to mis-and disinformation through social listening, gathering behavioural insights and media relations. Messages for the public • On social media, posted about the end of the COVID-19 PHIEC, the Pandemic Accord, donor and partnerships in PICS. WHO also shared messages for World Immunization Week highlighting the collective action needed to protect people from COVID-19 and vaccine- preventable diseases. • Facebook o Driven by the heightened demand during the pandemic, Pacific nations have been working with WHO and partners to strengthen their laboratory services to detect #COVID19 and other diseases. Check out our latest photo story to see how: https://bit.ly/3Mxz5ZU o The Ministry Of Health & Medical Services - Solomon Islands 🇸🇧 inaugurated its very first oxygen plant in the country yesterday, with support from WHO and the European Union in the Pacific . The new oxygen plant was delivered and installed at the National Referral Hospital, helping boost access to life-saving medical oxygen in 7 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #152 26 May 2023 Period of Report: As of 22 May 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) the Solomon Islands. Oxygen is an essential medicine that, when used properly, is critical to treating #COVID19 and other respiratory illnesses. o “The Pandemic Accord and the amendments to the International Health Regulations are a commitment to future generations that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic and neglect but move forward with shared commitment to meet shared threats with a shared response.” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization • Twitter o Globally, millions of children have missed out on life-saving vaccines due to #COVID19. o The Pandemic Accord and the amendments to the International Health Regulations are a commitment to future generations that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic and neglect but move forward with shared commitment to meet shared threats with a shared response. o The new oxygen plant was delivered and installed at the National Referral Hospital, helping boost access to life-saving medical oxygen in the Solomon Islands. Oxygen is an essential medicine that, when used properly, is critical to treating #COVID19 & other respiratory illnesses.
1 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #153 9 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 4 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy On 5 May 2023, the WHO Director-General declared that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a Public Health of international Concern (PHEIC) and that it is no longer a global health emergency. Despite the termination of the (PHEIC), COVID-19 remains a global health threat. This means that it is time for those Member States who have not already done so, to shift from emergency mode to the sustained management of COVID-19 taking a risk-based approach using the following recommended tools: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response and international border measures. Regional overview As of 5 June 2023, 204 088 022 cases with 412 605 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing over the past two weeks after several weeks of increasing cases (Figures 1 and 2). This trend, however, should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing, alongside a lack of reporting and delays in many countries. In the previous 14 days, a total of 349,997 new cases with 321 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 22 countries and areas: Australia 36 375, Brunei Darussalam 1 353, Cambodia 62, China 11 457, Cook Islands 22, French Polynesia 9, Guam 133, Kiribati 10, the Republic of Korea 234 593, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 69, Malaysia 5 801, Mongolia 708, New Caledonia 6, New Zealand 11 384, Niue 15, Northern Mariana Islands 18, Papua New Guinea 12, the Philippines 20 773, Singapore 14 851, Vanuatu 3, Viet Nam 12 313 and Wallis and Futuna 42. As of 28 May 2023, XBB.1.9.1 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 21.7% of sequences in region. XBB.1.5 became a variant under interest on 16 April and continues to increase in proportion among sequenced cases. Biweekly country situation updates • Mongolia has reported a rise in cases since the beginning of April. In the past two weeks there were 708 cases reported compared to 390 reported cases two weeks prior. Hospitalizations had also increased in April, however now seeing a declining trend. No reports of hospital strains have been observed. Additionally, no deaths have been reported since December 2022. • Tuvalu reported an increase in cases, with 132 confirmed cases from 26 May –2 June 2023. Of these cases two were hospitalized with mild-moderate symptoms. There have been no reports of severe cases or deaths during this reporting period. Samples have been collected to be sent to the reference laboratory in Melbourne, Australia for whole genome sequencing. • Following several weeks of increasing case trends, Viet Nam has reported a declining number of cases over the past four weeks. The 14-day daily case average was 880 during the last two weeks of May, a 50% decrease compared to the first two weeks of May. Despite the recent 2 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #153 9 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 4 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) surge in cases, there have been no changes in the proportion of severe cases, or strain on the health system. SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 9,250 sequences from 8 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 15-28 May 2023. For weeks 20 and 21 (15-28 May 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 8 countries and areas was 21.7% for XBB1.9.1, 21.2% for XBB.1.16 17.5 % for XBB.1.5, 9.0% for XBB.1.9.2, 6.1% for XBB.2.3, 5.8% for XBB, 5.1% for CH.1.1, 3.5% for BA.1, 3.5% for BA.5, 2.8% for BA.2.75, and 0.7% for BQ.1 Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #153 9 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 4 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 5 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 5 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #153 9 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 4 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from22 May to 04 June 2023, as of 04 June 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 331) 0 (34) 0 Australia 36 3751 (11 420 039) 171 (21 063) -3115.57 Brunei Darussalam 1 353 (307 686) 0 (161) -391.07 Cambodia 62 (138, 803) 0 (3 056) 4.00 China 11 4571(99 273 266) 1291 (121 236) 148.07 Cook Islands 22 (7 128) 0 (2) -1.21 Fiji 0 (68 921) 0 (883) 0.00 French Polynesia 9 (78 590) 0 (649) -1.93 Guam 133 (51 573) 0 (413) -4.79 Japan 0 2 (33 803 572) 102 (74 694) -724.50 Kiribati 101 (5 037) 01 (24) 0.57 Korea, Republic of 234 593(31 782 676) 0(34 815) -1970.00 Lao PDR 69 (218 265) 0 (671) -3.00 Malaysia 5 801 (5 100 249) 0 ((37 087) -657.93 Marshall Islands 0 (16 081) 0 (17) 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 (26 453) 1 (65) -26.64 Mongolia 708 (1 010 034) 0 (2 136) -25.21 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0 New Caledonia 61 (80 064) 31 (314) 0 New Zealand 11 384 (2 306 943) 0 (2 942) -853.29 Niue 151 (817) 01 (0) 1 Northern Mariana Islands 181 (13 935) 01 (41) -1.93 Palau 91 (6 009) 01 (9) -0.64 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 864) 01 (670) 0 The Philippines 20 773 (4 148 401) 13 (66 476) -290.50 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 743) 01 (31) 0 Singapore 14 851 (2 474 308) 0 (1 722) -2 158.00 Solomon Islands 01 (21 611) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0 Tonga 0 (16 817) 0 (12) 0 Tuvalu 01 (2 779) 01 (0) 0 Vanuatu 3 (12 019) 0 (14) 0.21 Viet Nam 12 313 (11 615 051) 7 (43 206) -1038.71 Wallis and Futuna 421 (3 550) 01 (7) -2.79 Total 349 997 (204 088 022) 321 (412 605) -11 091.86 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries reported no or partial data for the 14-day period 2 Japan no longer reports case numbers as of 8 May 2023. 5 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #153 9 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 4 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 4 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage3 BA.5* BA.2.75* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 XBB.1.9.1 XBB.1.9.2 CH.1.1 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X China X X X X X X X X X Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X X X X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5. XBB.1.5 is a Variant of Interest and is reported separately. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #153 9 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 4 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and Planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Partner Coordination The Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN) Strategy Implementation Workshop and the 33rd GOARN Steering Committee meeting was held from 8 May to 12 May 2023 in Amman, Jordan. The primary aim of the GOARN Strategy Implementation Workshop was to prioritize activities according to four strategic themes. Participants developed collaborative plans to support the global and regional outbreak preparedness, readiness and response activities. The 33rd GOARN Steering Committee reflected on the challenges and opportunities for GOARN in a 2023 context, clarified GOARN governance structure and membership, and applied discussions from the strategy workshop to decision making and execution by GOARN partners. For the first time, the first day of the Steering Committee was open for observation by attendees of the Strategy Implementation Workshop. The Western Pacific was represented by nine partners from five Member States: Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, and Fiji. Strategic Communication The Regional Office continues to support COVID-19 strategic communications in countries and areas across the Region, including developing health messages and campaigns, monitoring and responding to mis-and disinformation through social listening, gathering behavioural insights and media relations. Messages for the public On social media, published posts about strengthening emergency prepardness in PICS, emergency response during the 76th World Health Assembly and how countries reduced the impact of COVID- 19 as part of the social media awareness for the WHO Results Report. • Facebook o Cambodia 🇰🇭 has been able to reduce the impact of the pandemic by scaling up local preparedness and #COVID19 vaccination. With WHO’s technical support, 70% of Cambodia’s population was vaccinated by September 2021, 8 months ahead of the global target. o A healthy pregnancy reduces risks of #preterm birth. WHO recommends: 🤰Quality and respectful antenatal care, including early ultrasound 🤰🏽Counselling on optimal 7 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #153 9 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 4 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) nutrition 🤰🏻Preventing tobacco and substance use 🤰🏼Vaccination to reduce risks of flu and #COVID19 #BornTooSoon o #Nauru 🇳🇷 is acting to counter the dual crises of environmental degradation and #COVID19 by using new environmentally-friendly technology to manage medical waste. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3C9e96p #WorldEnvironmentDay • Twitter o Driven by the heightened demand during the pandemic, Pacific nations have been working with @WHO and partners to strengthen their laboratory health services to detect #COVID19 and other diseases. Check out our latest photo story to see how: https://t.co/EU32FNIuOI o Cambodia has been able to reduce the impact of the #pandemic by scaling up local preparedness and #COVID19 vaccination, thanks to the support of all of @WHO’s partners, including the European Union. Learn more in our latest Results Report: https://t.co/w1wRs0jPfx o Dr Babatunde Olowokure, Regional Emergency Director, talks about the different ways the Western Pacific Region responded to the #COVID19 pandemic. At #WHA76, he stresses the importance of leadership in preparing for and preventing future threats.
1 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy On 5 May 2023, the WHO Director-General declared that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a Public Health of international Concern (PHEIC) and that it is no longer a global health emergency. Despite the termination of the (PHEIC), COVID-19 remains a global health threat. This means that it is time for those Member States who have not already done so, to shift from emergency mode to the sustained management of COVID-19 taking a risk-based approach using the following recommended tools: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response and international border measures. Regional overview As of 19 June 2023, 204 479 156 cases with 413 526 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall trend has been decreasing over the past two weeks after several weeks of increasing cases (Figures 1 and 2). This trend, however, should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing and changes in reporting frequency by Member States. In the previous 14 days, a total of 341,707 new cases with 620 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 18 countries and areas: Australia 23 290, Brunei Darussalam 434, Cambodia 77, China 11 912, Cook Islands 14, Fiji 151, French Polynesia 4, Guam 56, the Republic of Korea 235 810, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 106, Malaysia 17 247, Micronesia 1, New Zealand 26 970, Niue 3, Northern Mariana Islands 20, the Philippines 10 909, Singapore 10 432, and Viet Nam 4 271. As of 11 June 2023, XBB.1.16 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 21.1% of sequences in the region. Biweekly country situation updates • Following an increasing trend in the number of cases, the Philippines has reported a declining trend in the number of cases over the past four weeks. The 14-day daily case average was 779 cases reported compared to 1 484 reported cases two weeks prior. Deaths have also seen a declining trend compared to two weeks prior. There does not appear to be strain on the healthcare system with the Philippines reporting a bed occupancy of 17.7%. • Following several weeks of increasing case trends, Viet Nam has reported a declining trend in the number of cases over the past six weeks. The 14-day daily case average was 330 during the past two weeks (5 to 18 June 2023), a 62.5% decrease compared to the two weeks prior (22 May to 4 June 2023). Despite the recent surge in cases, there have been no changes in the proportion of severe cases, or strain on the health system. 2 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 7,327 sequences from 10 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 29 May-11 June 2023. For weeks 22 and 23 (29 May-11 June 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 10 countries and areas was 21.1% for XBB.1.16, 20.3% for XBB.1.9.1, 15.5 % for XBB.1.5, 8.1% for CH.1.1, 7.9% for XBB, 7.2% for XBB.1.9.2, 7.0% for BA.5, 2.3% for BA.2.75, 1.7% for BA.2, 1.6% for BA.1, and 0.3% for BQ.1 Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 19 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 19 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 05 to 18 June 2023, as of 18 June 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 332) 0 (34) -0.07 Australia 23 2901 (11 477 838) 4471 (21 510) -3399.57 Brunei Darussalam 434 (308 777) 0 (161) -112.57 Cambodia 77 (138 884) 0 (3 056) 0.79 China 11 9121 (99 285 177) 1541 (121 390) 32.57 Cook Islands 14 (7 142) 0 (2) -0.57 Fiji 151 (69 072) 2 (885) 10.79 French Polynesia 4 (78 600) 0 (649) -0.79 Guam 56 (51 549) 0 (413) 0.21 Japan 02 (33 803 572) 02 (74694) 0 Kiribati 0 (5 037) 0 (24) -0.71 Korea, Republic of 235 810 (32 018 486) 129 (34 960) 86.93 Lao PDR 106 (218 371) 0 (671) 2.64 Malaysia 17 247 (5 122 019) 31 (37 118) 494.5 Marshall Islands 0 (16 098) 0 (17) -1.21 Micronesia (Federated States of) 1 (26 459) 0 (65) 0.07 Mongolia 0 (1 010 034) 0 (2 136) -50.57 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0 New Caledonia 0 (80 064) 0 (314) -0.43 New Zealand 26 970 (2 333 913) 135 (3077) 1113.29 Niue 31 (820) 01 (0) -0.86 Northern Mariana Islands 201 (13 968) 01 (41) -0.79 Palau 01 (6 011) 01 (9) -0.14 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 864) 01 (670) 0 The Philippines 10 909 (4 159 310) 1 (66 482) -704.57 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 743) 01 (31) 1.43 Singapore 10 432 (2 493 271) 0 (1 722) -925 Solomon Islands 01 (21 611) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 01 (5) 01 (0) 0 Tonga 0 (16 817) 0 (12) 0 Tuvalu 01 (2 911) 01 (0) -9.43 Vanuatu 0 (12 019) 0 (14) -0.21 Viet Nam 4271 (11 619 322) 0 (43 206) -574.43 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3550) 01 (8) -3 Total 341707 (204 478 043) 899 (413 525) -4041.71 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries reported no or partial data for the 14-day period 2 Japan no longer reports case numbers as of 8 May 2023. 5 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 11 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage3 BA.5* BA.2.75* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 XBB.1.9.1 XBB.1.9.2 CH.1.1 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X X X X China X X X X X X X X X Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X X X X X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5. XBB.1.5 is a Variant of Interest and is reported separately. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and Planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Health Service Delivery Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Clinical Management • Provided information related to COVID-19 de-isolation criteria to the WHO Division of Pacific Technical Support, Suva, Fiji. • Continued providing support in strengthening countries IPC programmes, revised IPC scoping reports of Low-Income Country Member states. Partner Coordination • An Emergency Medical Team (EMT) consultant is currently in Samoa supporting EMT cache inventory and preparations for the upcoming EMT team member training, which will be held next week on the island of Savai’i. This will be the Samoa Emergency Medical Team’s (SEMAT) second training since Samoa’s national EMT was formed last year. • Following the team member training in Samoa, the Solomon Islands Medical Assistance Team (SOLMAT) will hold a team member training from 26 -30 June 2023 • Further EMT team member trainings are planned for Palau and Papua New Guinea in July. • WPRO WHE staff is participating in several regional/global meetings in June, including the first EMT Meeting in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and an After-Action Review of the Emergency Medical Team response to the Türkiye earthquakes. Strategic Communication The Regional Office actively supports country offices in testing messages to ensure data-driven and audience-focused risk communication and has completed the administration process for continuing to engage a vendor to provide technical support for message testing on COVID-19 and other emergency topics. 7 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #154 23 June 2023 Period of Report: As of 18 June 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Messages for the public On social media, published posts about post-COVID condition and migrant workers in Cambodia and partnerships for pandemic response. • Facebook o You can prevent post #COVID19 condition or #LongCOVID by taking measures to prevent the infection. o When thousands of Cambodian 🇰🇭 migrant workers returned home during the emergency phase of the #COVID19 pandemic, border crossings needed to scale up quickly to protect returnees’ health and prevent large-scale community transmission in rural communities that could overwhelm health systems. Under a United Nations 🇺🇳 Joint Programme supported by the Japan - The Government of Japan 🇯🇵, the World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with IOM - UN Migration, UNFPA, and UNICEF supported the Royal Government of Cambodia to strengthen health security in the border provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Battambang and Oddar Meanchey. o • Twitter o Prevent post#COVID19 condition by taking measures against infection: o As part of the @WHO & @EU_Commission partnership to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response in South-East Asia, participants from #ASEANplus3 countries continue to share lessons, challenges & successes to strengthen field epidemiology training approaches in the region. o When thousands of Cambodian migrant workers returned home because of #COVID19, @WHO worked with @IOM, @UNFPA, @UNICEF in a joint programme funded by @JapanGov to protect returnees’ health, prevent community transmission in rural communities, and build health security.
1 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #155 7 July 2023 Period of Report: As of 3 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy On 5 May 2023, the WHO Director-General declared that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a Public Health of international Concern (PHEIC) and that it is no longer a global health emergency. Despite the termination of the (PHEIC), COVID-19 remains a global health threat. This means that it is time for those Member States who have not already done so, to shift from emergency mode to the sustained management of COVID-19 taking a risk-based approach using the following recommended tools: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response and international border measures. Regional overview As of 3 July 2023, 204 787 106 cases with 414 360 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall case trend has been decreasing over the several weeks (Figures 1 and 2). This trend, however, should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing and changes in reporting frequency in many countries. In the previous 14 days, a total of 285 106 new cases with 540 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 14 countries and areas: Australia 13 627, Cambodia 36, China 7 287, Cook Islands 2, Guam 126, Kiribati 44, the Republic of Korea 237 668, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 120, New Zealand 11 979, Northern Mariana Islands 13, the Philippines 6 189, Singapore 6 882, and Viet Nam 1 301. As of 25 June 2023, BA.5 variant was the dominant variant, accounting for 17.5% of sequences in region. Biweekly country situation updates • Following an increasing trend in the number of cases, the Philippines has reported a declining trend in the number of cases over the past six weeks. The 14-day daily case average was 442 cases reported compared to 779 reported cases two weeks prior. Deaths have remained low, reporting only two in the previous two weeks. There does not appear to be strain on the healthcare system with the Philippines reporting a bed occupancy of 16.4%. • Following several weeks of increasing case trends, Viet Nam has reported a declining trend in the number of cases over the past eight weeks. The 14-day daily case average was 93 during the past two weeks (19 June to 2 July 2023), compared to 330 cases reported in the two weeks prior (5 to 18 June 2023). There have been no deaths in the past two weeks and no changes in the proportion of severe cases, or strain on the health system. 2 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #155 7 July 2023 Period of Report: As of 3 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 17,158 sequences from 9 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 12-25 June 2023. For weeks 24 and 25 (12 - 25 June 2023) the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 9 countries and areas was 17.5% for BA.5, 16.7% for XBB.1.9.1, 12.8 % for XBB, 10.6% for XBB 1.5, 5.3 % for BA 2.75, 4.5% for CH 1.1, 4.0% for BA.1, 2.3% for BA.2, and 1.8 % for BA.4. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #155 7 July 2023 Period of Report: As of 3 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 3 July 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 3 July 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #155 7 July 2023 Period of Report: As of 3 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 19 June to 3 July 2023, as of 3 July 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (14-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 332) 0 (34) 0.0 Australia 13 6271 (11 477 838) 2321 (21 917) -1 796.93 Brunei Darussalam 01 (308 777) 01 (161) -31.0 Cambodia 36 (138 920) 0 (3 056) -2.93 China 7 2871 (99 292 081) 1001 (121 490) -303.0 Cook Islands 21 (7 144) 01 (2) -0.86 Fiji 01 (69 047) 01 (885) -9.0 French Polynesia 01 (78 601) 01 (649) -0.36 Guam 126 (51 675) 0 (413) 5.0 Japan 02 (33 803 572) 02 (74694) 0.0 Kiribati 44 (5 081) 0 (24) 3.14 Korea, Republic of 237 668 (32 256 154) 111 (35 071) 132.71 Lao PDR 120 (218 491) 0 (671) 1.0 Malaysia 01 (5 122 019) 34 (37 152) -1 231.93 Marshall Islands 0 1 (16 098) 01 (17) 0.0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 01 (26 459) 01 (65) -0.07 Mongolia 01 (1 010 034) 01 (2 136) 0.0 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0.0 New Caledonia 01 (80 064) 01 (314) 0.0 New Zealand 11 979 (2 345 892) 61 (3 138) -1 070.79 Niue 01 (820) 01 (0) -0.21 Northern Mariana Islands 131 (14 013) 01 (41) -2.79 Palau 01 (6 013) 01 (9) -0.14 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 864) 01 (670) 0 Philippines 6 189 (4 165 499) 2 (66 484) -337.14 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 771) 01 (31) -2.0 Singapore 6 8821 (2 506 870) 01 (1 841) -733.36 Solomon Islands 01 (21 611) 01 (153) 0.0 Tokelau 141 (19) 01 (0) 1.0 Tonga 0 (16 819) 0 (12) -0.14 Tuvalu 01 (2 943) 01 (1) -2.29 Vanuatu 0 (12 019) 0 (14) 0.0 Viet Nam 1 301 (11 620 623) 0 (43 206) -212.14 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3550) 01 (8) 0.0 Total 341 707 (204 478 043) 899 (413 525) -4041.71 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries reported no or partial data for the 14-day period 2Japan no longer reports case numbers as of 8 May 2023. 5 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #155 7 July 2023 Period of Report: As of 3 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 25 June 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage3 BA.5* BA.2.75* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 XBB.1.9.1 XBB.1.9.2 CH.1.1 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X X X X China X X X X X X X X X Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X X X X X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants, except for XBB.1.5. XBB.1.5 is a Variant of Interest and is reported separately. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #155 7 July 2023 Period of Report: As of 3 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and Planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Health Service Delivery Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Clinical Management Continued providing support in strengthening countries IPC programmes, revised IPC scoping reports of Lower Income Countries Member states, based on country’ feedback and inputs. Strategic Communication The Regional Office actively supports country offices in testing messages to ensure data-driven and audience-focused risk communication and has completed the administration process for continuing to engage a vendor to provide technical support for message testing on COVID-19 and other emergency topics. Messages for the Public • On WPRO social media, published posts on COVID-19 vaccination and risk-based COVID-19 measures during the Eid Al-Adha celebrations amplifying materials from WHO Malaysia • Facebook o While #COVID19 is no longer a global health emergency, people are still getting sick and dying from it https://bit.ly/3zevl9V. If you are planning an event or gathering, look out for one another by taking appropriate measures to reduce everyone’s risk of catching the coronavirus. o COVID-19 vaccines protect you against serious illness, hospitalization and death from the #coronavirus. Get all COVID-19 vaccine doses recommended to you. #VaccinesWork o If you are attending crowded #Eid open houses, take appropriate measures to reduce your risk of catching COVID-19. #CelebrateSafely • Twitter o If you are attending crowded #Eid open houses, take appropriate measures to reduce your risk of catching COVID-19. #CelebrateSafely o While #COVID19 is no longer a global health emergency, people are still getting sick & dying from it https://bit.ly/3zevl9V If you are planning an event, look out for one another by taking appropriate measures to reduce everyone’s risk of catching the coronavirus. 7 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #155 7 July 2023 Period of Report: As of 3 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) o COVID-19 vaccines protect you against serious illness, hospitalization and death from the coronavirus. Get all COVID-19 vaccine doses recommended to you. #VaccinesWor
1 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 4 August 2023 Period of Report: As of 31 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy On 5 May 2023, the WHO Director-General declared that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a Public Health of international Concern (PHEIC) and that it is no longer a global health emergency. Despite the termination of the (PHEIC), COVID-19 remains a global health threat. This means that it is time for those Member States who have not already done so, to shift from emergency mode to the sustained management of COVID-19 taking a risk-based approach using the following recommended tools: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response and international border measures. As of 31 July 2023, the Western Pacific Region has moved from a biweekly COVID-19 situation report to a monthly situation report. All future COVID-19 situation reports will be published the first week of the month until otherwise noted. Regional overview As of 31 July 2023, 205 846 101 cases with 415 641 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall case trend has been decreasing over the several weeks (Figures 1 and 2). This trend, however, should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing and changes in reporting frequency in many countries. In the previous 28 days, a total of 1 023 979 new cases with 667 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 21 countries and areas: Australia 19 754, Brunei 458, Cambodia 17, China 8 141, Cook Islands 7, French Polynesia 4, Guam 111, Kiribati 1, the Republic of Korea 945 642, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 248, Malaysia 2 424, Micronesia 12, Mongolia 19, New Zealand 14 543, Niue 2, Northern Mariana Islands 52, Palau 109, the Philippines 7 421, Singapore 23 768, Tokelau 57, and Viet Nam 1 189. As of 24 July 2023, XBB.1.16 was the dominant variant, accounting for 22.2% of sequences in region. Monthly country situation updates, as of 1 August 2023 • Over the past five weeks, Japan has reported an increasing trend in the number of cases and hospitalizations. Compared to an average of 6.1 cases reported per reporting facility from 19 to 25 June 2023, an average of 13.9 cases were reported from 17 to 23 July 2023 (68 601 total cases). Japan has also reported an rise in the number of hospitalizations; 4 751 hospitalizations were reported between 19 to 25 June 2023 compared to 8 983 between 17 to 23 July 2023. • The Republic of Korea has also reported an increasing trend in the number of cases over the previous five weeks. The 28-day daily case average was 33 773 cases reported for 3 to 31 July 2023 compared to 16 910 reported cases 28-days prior (5 June to 3 July 2023). Deaths have remained low and stable (242 in the previous 28 days). Over the past week, there has been a low number of hospitalizations with an average of 74 new admissions daily. 2 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 4 August 2023 Period of Report: As of 31 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 23 336 sequences from 9 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 28 June to 26 July 2023. As of 17 July 2023, the EG.5 variant is now a Variant Under Monitoring by the WHO. EG.5 has shown an increasing trend in sequenced cases globally over the past four weeks. In the Western Pacific Region, it has been detected in 8 countries/areas and accounts for 11.2% of sequenced cases between 28 June to 26 July 2023. Between 28 June to 26 July 2023, the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 9 countries and areas was: 22.2% for XBB.1.16, 17.7% for XBB.1.9.1, 11.4% for XBB.1.5, 11.2% for EG.5, 9.5% for BA.5, 7.1% for XBB, 5.9% for XBB.2.3, 3.8% for CH.1.1, 3.3% for BA 2.75, 3.0% for BA.1, 1.6% for BA.2, and 1.2 % for XBB.1.9.2. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 4 August 2023 Period of Report: As of 31 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 31 July 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 31 July 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 4 August 2023 Period of Report: As of 31 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 3 July to 31 July 2023, as of 31 July 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (28-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 332) 0 (34) 0 Australia 19 7541 (11 560 270) 1511 (22 482) -2 297.82 Brunei Darussalam 4581 (310 019) 11 (163) -27.14 Cambodia 17 (138 937) 0 (3 056) -3.43 China 8 1411 (99 300 040) 731 (121 563) -374.75 Cook Islands 71 (7 151) 01 (2) -0.32 Fiji 01 (69 047) 01 (885) -4.5 French Polynesia 41 (78 617) 01 (649) -0.46 Guam 111 (51 786) 2 (415) -2.54 Japan 01 (33 803 572) 01 (74 694) 0 Kiribati 1 (5 082) 0 (24) -1.54 Korea, Republic of 945 642 (33 201 796) 242 (35 313) 16863 Lao PDR 248 (218 739) 0 (671) 0.79 Malaysia 2 4241 (5 121 920) 9 (37 181) -439.29 Marshall Islands 01 (16 098) 01 (17) 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 121 (26 472) 01 (65) 0.36 Mongolia 191 (1 010 954) 01 (2 284) -31.5 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0 New Caledonia 01 (80 064) 01 (314) 0 New Zealand 14 543 (2 360 435) 81 (3 219) -871.64 Niue 21 (822) 01 (0) -0.04 Northern Mariana Islands 521 (14 096) 01 (41) -1.57 Palau 1091 (6 122) 01 (9) 3.82 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 864) 01 (670) 0 Philippines 7 421 (4 172 920) 108 (66 592) -345.61 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 775) 01 (31) -1.14 Singapore 23 7681 (2 534 940) 01 (1 872) -163.04 Solomon Islands 01 (21 611) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 571 (80) 01 (0) 1.39 Tonga 0 (16 819) 0 (12) -0.07 Tuvalu 01 (2 943) 01 (1) -1.14 Vanuatu 0 (12 019) 0 (14) 0 Viet Nam 1 189 (11 621 812) 0 (43 206) -156.54 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 550) 01 (8) 0 Total 1 023 979 (205 846 101) 667 (415 641) 12 145.29 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries reported no or partial data for the 28-day period 2Japan no longer reports case numbers as of 8 May 2023. 5 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 4 August 2023 Period of Report: As of 31 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 26 July 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron Sub-lineage BA.5* BA.2.75* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 XBB.1.9.1 XBB.1.9.2 EG.5 CH.1.1 BQ.1* American Samoa X X Australia X X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X X X X China X X X X X X X X X X Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X X X X X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants not specified on the table. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 4 August 2023 Period of Report: As of 31 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and Planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Strategic Communication The Regional Office actively supports country offices in testing messages to ensure data-driven and audience-focused risk communication and has completed the administration process for continuing to engage a vendor to provide technical support for message testing on COVID-19 and other emergency topics. Messages for the public On WPRO social media, published posts on stopping the spread of misinformation, country partnerships for COVID-19 response, WHO response to health emergencies, the pandemic accord, COVID-19 vaccination and risk-based COVID-19 measures for workplaces, places of worship, and sport events (FIFA). Content on the Director-General's visit to Mongolia and the country’s COVID-19 response was also published. Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) posts: • Misinformation. We all have a role to play in stopping the spread of harmful misinformation. Facebook / X (Twitter) • Country partnerships. We thank the EU Delegation to Mongolia for their valuable support to the COVID-19 response in Mongolia. Facebook / X (Twitter) • With support from the Government of Japan, WHO has worked with IOM Cambodia, UNFPA Cambodia, and UNICEF Cambodia to keep returning migrants safe from COVID-19 in three border provinces in Cambodia. Facebook / X (Twitter) • Director-General's visit to Mongolia. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus started his two-day visit to Mongolia meeting with country officials and health workers. "WHO is proud to continue supporting Mongolia’s efforts for health system strengthening, and emergency preparedness and response,” the WHO Director-General said. Facebook / X (Twitter) • Healthy emergency response. The Western Pacific Region is vulnerable to outbreaks and other emergency health hazards – from SARS to dengue, to COVID-19 and more. Facebook / X (Twitter) • With countries and partners in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, WHO is developing a new bi-regional action framework for health security, building on lessons from COVID-19 and other emergencies. Facebook / X (Twitter) • Lessons from SARS and other outbreaks have helped WHO to continuously strengthen health security. When COVID-19 emerged, WHO supported countries to respond quickly and strategically. Facebook / X (Twitter) • Pandemic accord. Pandemics know no borders. The 194 countries that make the WHO have agreed to draft an agreement for stronger collaboration and action to respond faster and better during health emergencies. Facebook / X (Twitter) 7 of 7 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 4 August 2023 Period of Report: As of 31 July 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) • A pandemic accord will be determined by governments themselves, as sovereign nations. Facebook / X (Twitter) Countries are leading the process to negotiate a #PandemicAccord to prevent a repeat of COVID-19. Facebook / X (Twitter) • COVID-19 vaccination. Today, more than 30 diseases are vaccine-preventable... Vaccines were critical in ending COVID-19 as a global health emergency. Facebook / X (Twitter) • Live your life while protecting yourself and those around you from the coronavirus...Get all the recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine including booster doses. Facebook / X (Twitter) • COVID-19 risk management. Do you own or manage a restaurant or an eatery? Keep in mind these tips to reduce everyone’s risk of catching COVID-19. Facebook / X (Twitter) • #LiveLifeSafely. Here are ways employers and staff can continue to keep everyone safe from COVID-19 in the workplace. Facebook / X (Twitter) • #LiveLifeSafely and reduce COVID-19 risk in places of worship. Facebook / X (Twitter) • Planning to watch a sport event but feeling unwell? Stay home and consider watching online or on TV. Facebook / X (Twitter)
1 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 1 September 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 August 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Overall strategy On 5 May 2023, the WHO Director-General declared that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a Public Health of international Concern (PHEIC) and that it is no longer a global health emergency. Despite the termination of the (PHEIC), COVID-19 remains a global health threat. This means that it is time for those Member States who have not already done so, to shift from emergency mode to the sustained management of COVID-19 taking a risk-based approach using the following recommended tools: COVID-19 vaccination, calibrated public health and social measures, strengthened health system capacity, early detection and targeted response and international border measures. As of 31 July 2023, the Western Pacific Region has moved from a biweekly COVID-19 situation report to a monthly situation report. All future COVID-19 situation reports will be published the first week of the month until otherwise noted. Regional overview As of 28 August 2023, 207 084 830 cases with 416 687 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 0.2%) have been reported. The overall case trend increased in early August and declined over the final two weeks (Figures 1 and 2). This trend, however, should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing and changes in reporting frequency in many countries. In the previous 28 days, a total of 1 289 392 new cases with 834 new deaths (Table 1) were reported in 22 countries and areas: Australia 15 218, Brunei Darussalam 416, Cambodia 3, China 4 842, Cook Islands 1, French Polynesia 4, Guam 59, Kiribati 3, Republic of Korea 1 234 790, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 66, Malaysia 1 987, Federated States of Micronesia 58, Mongolia 21, New Zealand 14 487, Niue 9, Northern Mariana Islands 71, Palau 21, Philippines 965, Samoa 3, Singapore 15 481, Tonga 2, and Viet Nam 885. As of 31 August 2023, XBB.1.16 and EG.5 are the two dominant variants, accounting for 43.8% of sequences in region (22% and 21.8% respectively). Monthly country situation updates, as of 31 August 2023 • Japan has observed an increasing trend in cases and hospitalizations since mid-May 2023. Between 14 to 20 August, an average of 18 cases were reported per sentinel site. This increased from 14 cases per sentinel site four weeks previously. Regarding hospitalizations, 13 135 new hospitalized cases and 132 ICU admissions were reported between 14 to 20 August. compared to 9 395 hospitalizations and 197 ICU admissions reported between 17 and 23 July. Japan submitted 6 995 sequenced cases between 31 July to 25 August. XBB.1.16 accounted for the highest proportion of sequenced cases (26.2%), followed by XBB.1.9.1 (14.7%) and EG.5 (14.1%). • After several weeks of increasing case trends, the Republic of Korea has reported a decline in number of weekly cases over the past three weeks. Despite declining case trends, hospitalizations have slightly increased over the past two weeks but remain low; the daily average of hospitalizations between 13-20 August was 227, which rose to 238 between 21-27 August. Additionally, on 23 August, the country downgraded COVID-19's classification as an infectious 2 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 1 September 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 August 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) disease from Class 4 to Class 2. The Republic of Korea will continue to implement a multi-layered surveillance approach including testing individuals and wastewater but will transition from mandatory COVID-19 surveillance to sentinel. SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants Under Monitoring in the Region A total of 14 323 sequences from 9 countries and areas were uploaded to GISAID from 31 July to 25 August 2023. As of 17 August 2023, BA.2.86 is a Variant Under Monitoring due to its large number of mutations. Nine countries globally have reported at least one sequenced case. No country within the Western Pacific Region has reported this variant as of 31 August. Between 31 July to 25 August 2023, the distribution of Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) among the 9 countries and areas was: 22% for XBB.1.16, 21.8% for EG.5, 12.2% for XBB.1.9.1, 8.9% for XBB, 7.5% for XBB.1.5, 6.8% for XBB.2.3, 5.9% for BA.5, 4.8% for XBB.1.9.2, 3.6% for BA.1, 2.4% for CH.1.1, 1.8% for BA 2.75 and 1.5% for BA.2. EG.5 nearly doubled in the number of sequenced cases in the Region in the past month, accounting for 11.2% of sequenced cases between 28 June to 26 July 2023 and 21.8% in the following four weeks. Deployments COVID-19 response 564 total deployments 534 deployments completed 18 actively supporting country offices 1 actively supporting the Regional Office 16 currently supporting remotely Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 42 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 27 March 2023) 37 764 374 surgical masks 6 492 719 particulate respirators 2 069 199 medical gowns 369 336 goggles 1 408 324 face shields 9 104 960 pairs of gloves 38 189 alcohol-based hand rub (100mL) 782 344 laboratory tests 1 998 669 point of care tests 3 730 390 swab kits 706 ICU ventilators 3 198 oxygen concentrators 30 155 pulse oximeters 333 490 rapid antigen tests 3 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 1 September 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 August 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Figure 1. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries and areas with the highest number of cases, as of 28 August 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) *Philippines removed duplicated cases on 14 August 2023. Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with the lowest number of cases, as of 28 August 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) 4 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 1 September 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 August 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 31 July to 28 August 2023, as of 28 August 2023 (GMT+8) Country or area New cases (cumulative) New deaths (cumulative) Change (28-day average of cases) American Samoa 0 (8 332) 0 (34) 0 Australia 19 7541 (11 560 270) 1511 (22 482) -2 297.82 Brunei Darussalam 4581 (310 019) 11 (163) -27.14 Cambodia 17 (138 937) 0 (3 056) -3.43 China 8 1411 (99 300 040) 731 (121 563) -374.75 Cook Islands 71 (7 151) 01 (2) -0.32 Fiji 01 (69 047) 01 (885) -4.5 French Polynesia 41 (78 617) 01 (649) -0.46 Guam 111 (51 786) 2 (415) -2.54 Japan 01 (33 803 572) 01 (74 694) 0 Kiribati 1 (5 082) 0 (24) -1.54 Korea, Republic of 945 642 (33 201 796) 242 (35 313) 16863 Lao PDR 248 (218 739) 0 (671) 0.79 Malaysia 2 4241 (5 121 920) 9 (37 181) -439.29 Marshall Islands 01 (16 098) 01 (17) 0 Micronesia (Federated States of) 121 (26 472) 01 (65) 0.36 Mongolia 191 (1 010 954) 01 (2 284) -31.5 Nauru 01 (5 393) 01 (1) 0 New Caledonia 01 (80 064) 01 (314) 0 New Zealand 14 543 (2 360 435) 81 (3 219) -871.64 Niue 21 (822) 01 (0) -0.04 Northern Mariana Islands 521 (14 096) 01 (41) -1.57 Palau 1091 (6 122) 01 (9) 3.82 Papua New Guinea 01 (46 864) 01 (670) 0 Philippines 7 421 (4 172 920) 108 (66 592) -345.61 Pitcairn Islands 01 (4) 01 (0) 0 Samoa 01 (16 775) 01 (31) -1.14 Singapore 23 7681 (2 534 940) 01 (1 872) -163.04 Solomon Islands 01 (21 611) 01 (153) 0 Tokelau 571 (80) 01 (0) 1.39 Tonga 0 (16 819) 0 (12) -0.07 Tuvalu 01 (2 943) 01 (1) -1.14 Vanuatu 0 (12 019) 0 (14) 0 Viet Nam 1 189 (11 621 812) 0 (43 206) -156.54 Wallis and Futuna 01 (3 550) 01 (8) 0 Total 1 023 979 (205 846 101) 667 (415 641) 12 145.29 Note: Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ reports. 1 Countries reported no or partial data for the 28-day period 2Japan no longer reports case numbers as of 8 May 2023. 5 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 1 September 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 August 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported currently circulating Variants of Concern, as of 31 August 2023 10:00 (GMT+8) Country or area Omicron sublineage BA.5* BA.2.75* XBB^ XBB.1.5 XBB.1.16 XBB.1.9.1 XBB.1.9.2 EG.5 CH.1.1 BQ.1* American Samoa X X X Australia X X X X X X X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X X X X Cambodia X X X X X X X X China X X X X X X X X X X Guam X X X Japan X X X X X X X X X X Kiribati X Lao PDR X Malaysia X X X X X X X X X X Marshall Islands X X Micronesia (Federated States of) X X X X Mongolia X X X X X X X New Zealand X X X X X X X X X X Northern Mariana Islands X X X X Palau X X Papua New Guinea X X X X The Philippines X X X X X X X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Samoa X Singapore X X X X X X X X X X Solomon Islands X Tonga X Vanuatu X Viet Nam X X X X X X X X X *Includes sub-variants. ^Includes sub-variants not specified on the table. Note: GISAID submission data is subject to change. 6 of 6 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #156 1 September 2023 Period of Report: As of 28 August 2023, 10:00 (GMT+8) Key information and announcements Information and Planning The Regional Office continues to monitor COVID-19 incidence in countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the dashboard for the Western Pacific Region. Strategic Communication The Regional Office actively supports country offices in testing messages to ensure data-driven and audience-focused risk communication and has completed the administration process for continuing to engage a vendor to provide technical support for message testing on COVID-19 and other emergency topics. Messages for the Public • On WPRO social media, published posts on country partnerships for COVID-19 response, COVID-19 vaccination and risk-based measures, mental health during COVID-19, GOARN updates including on emergency preparedness and response, COVID-19 and primary health care as part of the Seventh Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians Forum on Global Health. • Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) posts: o Community engagement training by the Cambodia Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and partners including the European Union, has equipped village chiefs across all 25 provinces in the country with the knowledge and skills to help control transmission of #COVID19, influenza, and other respiratory diseases, and collaborate with authorities more closely on health issues facing their communities. Facebook / X (Twitter) o Live your life while protecting yourself and those around you from the #coronavirus: Know your risk. Take appropriate protective measures. Get all the recommended doses of the #COVID19 vaccine including booster doses. Facebook / X (Twitter) o COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, but it is still making people sick. #VaccinesWork to help protect you against serious illness, hospitalization and death from the coronavirus.. #YouthDay Facebook / X (Twitter) o #COVID19 is still circulating in every country. Dr Maria Van Kerkhove updates on the latest variant of interest EG.5. Facebook / X (Twitter) o Crossing rivers, a field team travelled over two days from Honiara, capital of Solomon Islands , to reach the mountain village of Kuvamiti. Their mission was to provide and deliver routine healthcare and immunization to those who live and work there. #NoMatterWhat the hardship, WHO and partners continue to support the delivery of #COVID19 vaccines and healthcare services. Facebook / X (Twitter) (retweet) o Many of us remember the COVID-19 pandemic as a time of isolation. In partnership with WHO, SEACO Asia at Monash University studied how to improve relationships and increase human connection among people in the Segamat district in #Malaysia through digital health interventions. Facebook / X (Twitter) o Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize the importance of #PrimaryHealthCare for health security. The pandemic acted as a catalyst, accelerating many innovations and adjustments in health services that must be sustained while designing a new approach to #PHC. X (Twitter)