Situation Report of MPOX in Global and ASEAN Region - 25 January 2023

Global Update

• Worldwide, there have been over 660 million cases and over 6 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.

• As the World Health Organization prepares to decide whether COVID-19 remains a global health emergency, WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the key pandemic indicators are going in the wrong direction, including a rising number of deaths. He added that the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the impact it continues to have in many countries, and the increasing number of deaths are very concerning. Furthermore, the WHO Emergency Committee is scheduled to meet on January 27 (Friday) to discuss whether the current pandemic situation still constitutes a global emergency, almost exactly three years from the day WHO first declared COVID19 a public health emergency of international concern — the agency’s highest level of alert.

• US FDA: 23 January 2023. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is suggesting a single annual shot. The formulation would be selected in June this year. targeting the most threatening COVID-19 strains, and then people could get a shot in the fall when people begin spending more time indoors and exposure increases. Some people, such as those who are older or immunocompromised, may need more than one dose. The FDA also wants to move to a single COVID-19 vaccine formulation that would be used for primary vaccine series and for booster shots. A national advisory committee is expected to vote on the proposal.