Overview
Globally, over 836 000 new COVID-19 cases and over 4500 deaths were reported in the last 28 days (19 June to 16 July 2023). While five WHO regions have reported decreases in the number of both cases and deaths, the Western Pacific Region has reported a decline in cases but an increase in deaths. As of 16 July 2023, over 768 million confirmed cases and over 6.9 million deaths have been reported globally. Currently, reported cases do not accurately represent infection rates due to the reduction in testing and reporting globally. During this 28-day period, 56% (131 of 234) of countries and territories reported at least one case -- a proportion that has been declining since mid-2022.
In this edition, we include:
- The COVID-19 epidemiological update at the global and the regional levels
- An update on hospitalizations and ICU admissions
- An update on the SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest (VOI) and variants under monitoring (VUM)