Weekly COVID-19 Epidemiological Update: Issue 34 (27 September 2022)

Abstract

Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and up to September 27, 2022, a cumulative total of 612 million COVID-19 cases including 6.5 million deaths were reported from all six WHO regions. During the epidemiological week (EW) 38, COVID-19 cases decreased in all WHO regions (range: -33%, -7.8% decrease) except one region – EURO (4.7%), and COVID-19 deaths also decreased in all six regions (range: -33.9% - -3% decrease). Globally, approximately 3,085,598 new COVID-19 cases were reported in EW 38 (September 18, 2022 - September 24, 2022) - a -9% decrease compared to EW 37 (September 11, 2022 - September 17, 2022) (Figure 1). For the same period, 8,997 new COVID-19 deaths were reported globally – a -16.7% relative decrease compared the previous week. In the region of the Americas, 486,224 cases and 3,751 deaths were reported in EW 38 - a -14.4% decrease in cases and -12.2% decrease in deaths compared to the previous week. At the subregional level, COVID-19 cases decreased in all four subregions (range: -55.2% - - 3.7% decrease). Deaths increased in two subregions - Central America (48.4%) and Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean Islands (3.9%) – and decreased in the remaining two subregions – South America (-14.7%) and North America (-13%) – compared to the previous week. The overall weekly case notification rate for the region of the Americas was 47.5 cases per 100,000 population during EW 38 (55.6 the previous week). Between EW 38 and 37, the 14- day COVID-19 death rate was 7.8 deaths per 1 million population (8.4 the previous two weeks). Among 29 countries/territories in the region with available data, COVID-19 hospitalizations increased in 6 countries and territories (range: 5.6% - 123.2%) during EW 38 compared to the previous week. Among 21 countries and territories with available data, COVID-19 ICU admissions increased in 5 countries and territories (range: 10% - 100%).