Situation Report of MPOX in Global and ASEAN Region - 03 Augustus 2023

Global Updates

• Worldwide, over 692 million cases and over 6 million deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.

• According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) in its weekly update said that cases are no longer a reliable marker of COVID activity, due to reduced testing and reporting, only the Western Pacific region showed a rise in cases over the past 28 days. The rise appears to mainly reflect modest upticks in South Korea and some Pacific island locations. Hospitalizations and ICU admissions are considered more reliable indicators, but unfortunately, only a few countries report their data. Among those that do, Bangladesh and Malta are the only ones witnessing a rise of 20% or more in hospitalizations over the past month. There were no reported ICU admission increases of 20% or more during the same period. As for variant tracking, the WHO noted that only three variants, namely XBB.1.16, EG.5, and XBB, are currently showing rising proportions.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in its latest update that COVID-19 activity in the United States remains at very low levels, but certain markers used by health officials to track illness activity have shown small increases for the third consecutive week. Notably, hospitalizations in the United States rose by 10.3% compared to the previous week, with a few counties in Arizona, Kansas, and Nebraska experiencing moderate levels of hospitalization. Deaths, on the other hand, remained stable. Early indicators also revealed more signs of a rise in COVID-19 activity. Emergency department (ED) visits for COVID-19 surged by 17.4% compared to the previous week, with several states in the Southeast and Northeast witnessing substantial increases. Moreover, test positivity, another early marker, continues to climb, with a 0.9% increase and a national rate of 7.6%. The South and Southwest regions have the highest test positivity rates. 

• The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported in its latest weekly update that COVID-19 patterns are still declining or remaining stable in Europe. As of the end of week 29 (ending 23 July 2023), all EU/EEA indicators for COVID-19 showed decreasing or stable trends in all age groups, continuing the pattern observed in recent weeks. Among the 20 countries reporting COVID-19 cases, only one showed an increase in overall case rates compared to the previous week. Out of seven countries reporting information on hospital admissions, one reported an increase in that indicator. Additionally, 28 deaths were reported from 15 countries. Based on ensemble model forecasts, no country is predicted to experience increases in the number of reported COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions, or deaths up to 6 August 2023. Regarding SARSCoV-2 sequencing or genotyping, among the five countries reporting at least 10 results for weeks 27–28 (3 July to 16 July 2023), the estimated distribution of variants of concern (VOC) or of interest (VOI) was as follows: 97.7% (from five countries) for XBB.1.5, 13.0% (from two countries) for BA.2.75, and 7.0% (from two countries) for XBB. In terms of vaccine uptake, there are no updates in the cumulative vaccine uptake in the EU/EEA compared to the previous week. For people aged 60 years and above, the cumulative uptake of a first booster was 84.9% (ranging from 13.3% to 100.0% across countries), and for a second booster, it was 35.6% (ranging from 0.4% to 87.0%). Long-term care facilities surveillance data has been excluded from the surveillance summary since week 19, 2023, due to the low number of reporting countries. However, historic time series of the long-term care facility data remain available on the individual country sheets, with recent updates included where available. Finally, among the 11 countries with data on hospital or ICU admissions/occupancy up to week 29, two reported an increasing trend in at least one of these indicators compared with the previous week. [Full report] ASEAN Biodiaspora Virtual Center Weekly Situation Report COVID-19 and Mpox, August 3, 2023 | WSR 2023-05 3 | P a g e Return to table of contents Regional Updates

• Indonesia: Griffith University epidemiologist Dicky Budiman warns that the emergence of SARS-COV-2, which causes COVID-19, has little chance of triggering a spike in cases like the start of the pandemic (Katriana & Firdaus, 2023). He cautions that the declining mitigation system in Indonesia opens up the possibility for the SAR-COV-2 virus to continue to mutate. As long as there is still infection, there is a chance of mutation in several areas due to the effect of reinfection in the community. However, the impact does not pose a serious potential because mutations that have a serious impact are mutations that cause significant severity or death. Budiman is wary of mutations in the MERS variant or the SARS virus that first surfaced in the world, as they can have a serious impact. He appeals to the public to not panic, but to remain vigilant by carrying out booster vaccinations and preventing transmission by wearing masks, avoiding crowds, and improving air quality. The Indonesian Ministry of Health spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, stated that the finding of the most mutated version of COVID-19 in Indonesia is proof of the existence of SARS-CoV-2 in the midst of an endemic.