Globally, during the 28-day period from 23 October to 19 November 2023, 104 countries reported COVID-19 cases and 43 countries reported COVID-19 deaths. Note that this does not reflect the actual number of countries where cases or deaths are occurring, as a number of countries have stopped or changed frequency of reporting.
From the available data, the number of reported cases and deaths during the 28-day period have declined, with over half a million new cases and over 2400 new deaths, a decrease of 13% and 72%, respectively, compared to the previous 28 days (25 September to 22 October 2023). Trends in the number of reported new cases and deaths should be interpreted with caution due to decreased testing and sequencing, alongside reporting delays in many countries.
SARS-CoV-2 PCR percent positivity, as detected in integrated sentinel surveillance as part of the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) and reported to FluNet, has remained stable at 8.0% over the last 28-days, with a slight dip in early November.
During the 28-day period from 16 October to 12 November 2023, 62 and 37 countries provided data on COVID-19 hospitalizations and admissions to an intensive care unit (ICU) at least once, respectively. From the available data, over 84 000 new hospitalizations and over 700 new ICU admissions were reported during the 28-day reporting period, a decrease of 18% and 57% respectively, compared to the previous 28-day period from 18 September to 15 October 2023. However, amongst the countries reporting these data consistently over the two reporting periods, there was an overall decrease of 12% in new hospitalizations, and a 26% increase in new ICU admissions.
During this reporting period, BA.2.86 was reclassified from a variant under monitoring (VUM) to a variant of interest (VOI). WHO is currently tracking several SARS-CoV-2 variants: four VOIs – XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5 and BA.2.86; and five VUMs. Globally, EG.5, reported by 89 countries, represents 51.6% of sequences shared on GISAID and is presently the most prevalent VOI.
Western Pacific Region The Western Pacific Region reported over 130 000 new cases, a 14% increase as compared to the previous 28-day period. Seven (20%) of the 35 countries for which data are available reported increases in new cases of 20% or greater, with the highest proportional increases observed in Guam (131 vs 50 new cases; +162%), Brunei Darussalam (1725 vs 958 new cases; +80%), and Australia (34 635 vs 21 000 new cases; +65%). The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Singapore (65 021 new cases; 1111.4 new cases per 100 000; +6%), Australia (34 635 new cases; 135.8 new cases per 100 000; +65%), and New Zealand (16 395 new cases; 340.0 new cases per 100 000; +50%). The number of new 28-day deaths in the Region decreased by 38% as compared to the previous 28-day period, with 266 new deaths reported. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from Australia (107 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; -54%), New Zealand (86 new deaths; 1.8 new deaths per 100 000; +25%), and China (34 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; -32%).
