Situation Report of MPOX in Global and ASEAN Region - 07 September 2023

Global Updates

• Worldwide, over 695 million cases and over 6 million deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.

• United States: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the US have surged, with 15,067 new cases and 17.6% increase in deaths in the most recent week, according to the CDC (Jingjing, 2023). Los Angeles County has seen cases double in the last month, with nursing homes particularly affected. The EG.5 variant, the dominant strain, is drawing concerns from health officials and experts. School districts have no longer had comprehensive surveillance data, and decisions on mitigation measures are largely up to school district leaders, local health authorities, and community consultation. Updated vaccines are expected to become available by the end of September. Experts recommend people, especially vulnerable groups, get vaccinated against all three viruses simultaneously to better protect themselves. [Full article]

• Israel: The Israeli Ministry of Health reported a moderate increase in coronavirus hospitalization due to variant spread. Hospitals are instructed to perform PCR tests on inpatients within three weeks (Eeranlahav, 2023). The ministry is monitoring morbidity trends and is preparing vaccines for winter. Patients with symptoms are advised to stay quarantined for five days. [Full article