11 May 2023 Your key COVID-19 report
Weekly Epidemiological Update
11 May 2023
Globally, over 2.7 million new cases and over 17 000 deaths were reported in the last 28 days (10 April to 7 May 2023), a decrease of 14% and 17%, respectively, compared to the previous 28 days (13 March to 9 April 2023). The picture is mixed at the regional level, with increases in reported cases seen in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions and decreases in other regions. As of 7 May 2023, over 765 million confirmed cases and over 6.9 million deaths have been reported globally.
In this edition are:
- The COVID-19 epidemiological update at the global and the regional levels
- An update on the SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest (VOI) and variants under monitoring (VUM)
- Vaccine effectiveness of primary series and booster vaccination against Omicron and its descendant lineages
- An update on hospitalizations and ICU admissions
- A summary of Monthly Operational Update
Monthly Operational Update
In this edition of the Monthly Operational Update on Health Emergencies, highlights of country-level actions and WHO support to countries include:
- New study finds that 43,000 “excess deaths” may have occurred in 2022 from the drought in Somalia
- Addressing mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine during and after the war: WHO support to Ukraine in 2022
- Mongolia trains its Global Emergency Response (M-GER) Emergency Medical Team members
- Antigua and Barbuda moves forward to create its first national Emergency Medical Team (EMT)
- WHO supports Mauritius to conduct national risk profiling workshop using the Strategic Toolkit for Assessing Risks (STAR)
- WHO holds first workshop of National Public Health Agencies (NPHAs) on building essential capacities in health emergency preparedness and response
- The Eastern Mediterranean Region holds its third Scientific Conference and sixth EMARIS meeting on acute respiratory infections
- Strengthening influenza preparedness through an OpenWHO online course
- Mobile health caravans rally the western Balkans to COVID-19 vaccination, bringing health advice closer to where people are
- Assessing the quality of laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 through external quality assessments (EQA)
- WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) External Quality Assessment Programme 2022 for molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2
- A global analysis of COVID-19 intra-action reviews: Reflecting on, adjusting and improving emergency preparedness and response during a pandemic. Examples from the European Region
- Study captures how OpenWHO learners adapt content from online public health courses for local learning
In the Sahel, WHO helps treat malnourished children
WHO Somalia | Story of a dedicated vaccinator: Amina
WHO's Health Emergency Appeal 2023
WHO needs US$ 2.54 billion to provide help and respond to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable amongst a record 339 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Many are at risk of serious health threats, including disease outbreaks, nutritional crises, and lack of access to essential medical services. The funds will enable WHO to respond to 54 ongoing emergencies, 11 of which are Grade 3.
Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its fourth year, surveillance has declined dramatically, with millions of people continuing to be infected and thousands still dying. At this pivotal moment, WHO has updated its Strategic Preparedness and Response plan for 2023-2025 to support countries as they are working to transition their critical emergency response activities to longer-term sustained COVID-19 disease prevention, control and management.
Read more stories of work in countries around the world.
Thanks to all donors and partners contributing to the WHO COVID-19 response.
This email aims to keep you informed about WHO's work to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and showcase impactful stories made possible thanks to the contributions of our donors and partners. Help us improve it by sharing your feedback to WHO media.
