Weekly COVID-19 Reports Update

Weekly Epidemiological Update

07 September

The global incidence of COVID-19 cases has remained stable over the month with over 4.4 million new cases reported this week (30 August-5 September). During this period, all regions reported either a decline (Regions of Africa, South-East Asia, and the Eastern Mediterranean) or a similar trend (Regions of Europe and the Western Pacific) in new weekly cases, except for the Region of the Americas which reported a 19% increase as compared to previous week. The number of deaths reported globally this week also remained similar to the previous week, with just under 68 000 new deaths reported. The incidence of new deaths declined in all regions apart from the Region of the Americas and Europe where deaths increased by 17% and 20% respectively

The cumulative number of cases reported globally is now just over 220 million and the cumulative number of deaths is over 4.5 million

In this edition, one special focus update is provided:

• A detailed update on the phenotypic characteristics (transmissibility, disease severity, risk of reinfection, and impacts on diagnostics and vaccine performance) of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. It also includes updates on the geographic distribution of VOCs

Weekly Operational Update

06 September

In this edition of the COVID-19 Weekly Operational Update, highlights of country-level actions and WHO support to countries include:

• Inauguration of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin
• Scale-up capacity for real-time PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 and biosafety in Montenegro at the subnational level
• Shipment of medical supplies to Viet Nam
• Engagement of the African Regional Monitoring of Vaccine Effectiveness (AFRO-MoVE) mechanism in 17 countries
• Risk Communications and Community Engagement support hotline in Thailand
• Civil Society Organization engagement in North-West Syria
• Updates on WHO’s Early AI-Powered Social Listening Tool (EARS) to support country infodemic management
• Progress on a subset of indicators from the SPRP 2021 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
• Updates on WHO’s financing to support countries in SPRP 2021 implementation and provision of critical supplies

WHO improves regional vaccine production, distributes vaccines to the vulnerable and delivers essential supplies in the continued fight against COVID-19

Video highlights from work in countries

Read more stories of ongoing work in countries around the world in support of the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan 2021

In the past week we have received additional funding from Malta and the United States of America (USAID), as well as new pledges from Japan and USAID. Thanks to all donors and partners contributing to the WHO COVID-19 Response

This email is aimed at keeping you informed of WHO's work to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and showcase stories of impact only possible thanks to the contributions of our donors and partners. Help us improve it by sharing your feedback to WHO media