GENEVA – COVID Update – The COVID-19 epidemiological update as of 22 December 2023, published by the World Health Organization, provides a comprehensive analysis of the current global situation of the pandemic. Key points from the update include:
- Increase in New Cases: There was a 52% increase in new COVID-19 cases globally in the 28-day period from 20 November to 17 December 2023, with over 850,000 new cases reported.
- Decrease in New Deaths: Despite the rise in cases, there was an 8% decrease in new deaths during the same period, with over 3,000 fatalities reported.
- Total Cases and Deaths: As of 17 December 2023, over 772 million confirmed cases and nearly seven million deaths have been reported globally.
- Hospitalizations and ICU Admissions: Between 13 November and 10 December 2023, there were over 118,000 new hospitalizations and over 1,600 new ICU admissions, marking increases of 23% and 51%, respectively.
- Variant of Interest: JN.1, a sub-lineage of the BA.2.86 Omicron variant, has been designated as a separate variant of interest (VOI) due to its rapid increase in prevalence.
- Most Reported VOI: The EG.5 remains the most reported variant of interest globally.
This update includes information at both global and regional levels, focusing on hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and updates on SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest and variants under monitoring
