Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #62 21 July 2021 Period of Report: 14 July 2021 to 20 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) encourages countries to improve detection of COVID-19 transmission, to respond to detection with quick and targeted measures, and to focus efforts on preventing transmission among the vulnerable.

Key highlights ● New cases of COVID-19 were reported in 19 Western Pacific (WPR) countries or areas within the past seven days ( 806, Darussalam 27, Cambodia 6 096, China 410, 7 320, French 121, 18, 23 025, Republic of Korea 10 354, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 809, 83 950, Mongolia 10 700, 2, 39, 1, 157, Philippines 36 252, 696 and Viet Nam 30 198). ● Six countries or areas in the WPR that had reported cases in the past have reported no new cases within the past seven days ( (238 days), (149 days), (95 days), (128 days) and (68 days)). ● Eleven Pacific island countries and areas have not reported a case to date (, , , (Federated States of), , , , Islands, , and ). Epi update Member States Cases Deaths COVID-19 19 210 981 2 225 countries or areas reporting cases past 7 days past 7 days in the past 7 days 16 4 060 268 60 675 countries or areas reporting ZERO cumulative cases cumulative deaths cases for more than 7 days

Deployments 363 290 33 12 28 COVID-19 total deployments actively supporting actively supporting currently supporting response deployments completed country offices regional office remotely

Supplies and logistics for health care workers shipped to 38 destinations in the Western Pacific Region (as of 21 July 2021)

11 246 500 1 871 329 553 905 313 610 1 068 532 3 419 100 24 294 surgical masks particulate respirators medical gowns goggles face shields pairs of gloves alcohol-based hand rub (100mL)

670 120 388 160 1 394 190 288 1 856 14 730 laboratory tests point of care tests swab kits ICU ventilators Oxygen concentrators pulse oximeters

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #62 21 July 2021 Period of Report: 14 July 2021 to 20 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Weekly situation updates ● In the WPR, 24 countries and areas have reported COVID-19 cases since December 2019. Between 14 to 20 July 2021, a total of 210 981 cases with 2 225 deaths were reported, for a cumulative 4 060 268 cases with 60 675 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 1.5%) as of 21 July 2021, 17:00 (GMT+8). Available data indicate that countries or areas in the WPR have identified imported cases1 or localized community transmission, while subnational areas in some WPR countries and areas have identified large-scale community transmission. Figure 1 shows the geographical distribution of cases reported in the last seven days. o Countries and areas with large-scale community transmission: ▪ Fiji (Central Division), Japan (Okinawa and Tokyo), the Philippines (National Capital Region, Region 3, Region 4A). o Countries and areas with localized community transmission: ▪ Cambodia (Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Cham, Kampong Speu, Kampot, Kandal, Phnom Penh, Preah Sihanouk, Prey Veng, Siem Riep, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Tbong Khmum), Fiji (Western Division), Guam, Japan (rest of the 45 prefectures), the Republic of Korea, Lao PDR (Vientiane capital), , the Philippines (rest of the 14 ) and Viet Nam (Hanoi capital, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Dien Bien, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Dong Nai, Khanh Hoa, and Phu Yen). Globally, 190 671 330 COVID-19 cases with 4 098 758 deaths have been reported in 223 countries or areas (2.1% PFC) as of 20 July 2021 18:42 CEST. Recent daily new cases in the African Region, the South-East Region, the Eastern Mediterranean Region and the European Region appear to be increasing, while the Regions of the appear to have plateaued.

1 0-No cases—no cases detected and no clear signals of transmission for at least 28 days (or two incubation periods); 1- Imported cases—cases reported in the past 28 days are imported or linked to importation within 3 generations, and there are no clear signals of local transmission; 2-Localized community transmission—cases reported in the past 28 days are localized and cannot be linked to importations, though most are linked to a cluster, and there are no clear signals of large-scale community transmission; 3-Large-scale community transmission—most cases reported in the past 28 days have no known link to a cluster and are spread across the , and there are clear signals of increasing transmission and severe outcomes. 2 of 7

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #62 21 July 2021 Period of Report: 14 July 2021 to 20 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Figure 1. Countries or areas with reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, covering the period from 14 July to 20 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021 10:00 (GMT+8)

Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with highest number of cases, as of 21 July 2021 10:00 (GMT+8)

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #62 21 July 2021 Period of Report: 14 July 2021 to 20 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Figure 3. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with small number of cases, as of 21 July 2021 10:00 (GMT+8)

Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 14 July to 20 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021 10:00 (GMT+8) (n = 4 060 268) New cases New deaths Change in 7-day Days since last Country or area (cumulative) (cumulative) average reported case American Samoa 0 (0) 0 (0) - - Australia 806 (32 129) 3 (915) 45.00 0 Brunei Darussalam 27 (309) 0 (3) 1.57 0 Cambodia 6 096 (68 796) 196 (1 149) -68.86 0 China 410 (119 837) 26 (5 621) 2.71 0 Cook Islands 0 (0) 0 (0) - - Fiji 7 320 (19 352) 66 (125) 348.14 0 121 (19 163) 0 (144) 14.14 0 Guam 18 (8 217) 1 (143) -7.57 0 Japan 23 025 (847 614) 108 (15 079) 1 141.29 0 Kiribati 0 (0) 0 (0) - - Korea, Republic of 10 354 (182 265) 12 (2 060) 170.86 0 Lao PDR 809 (3 710) 2 (5) 37.71 0 Malaysia 83 950 (939 899) 856 (7 241) 2 956.29 0 Marshall Islands 0 (4) 0 (0) 0.00 245 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 (0) 0 (0) - - Mongolia 10 700 (151 230) 50 (749) -196.57 0 Nauru 0 (0) 0 (0) - - New Caledonia 2 (131) 0 (0) 0.29 0 New Zealand 39 (2 472) 0 (26) 1.86 0 Niue 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #62 21 July 2021 Period of Report: 14 July 2021 to 20 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021, 10:00 (GMT+8)

New cases New deaths Change in 7-day Days since last Country or area (cumulative) (cumulative) average reported case Northern Mariana Islands 1 (188) 0 (2) -0.29 1 Palau 0 (0) 0 (0) - - Papua New Guinea 157 (17 524) 13 (192) 6.29 0 Philippines 36 252 (1 517 903) 752 (26 844) 60.29 0 0 (0) 0 (0) - - Samoa 0 (1) 0 (0) 0.00 156 Singapore 696 (63 440) 0 (36) 84.57 0 Solomon Islands 0 (20) 0 (0) 0.00 102 Tokelau 0 (0) 0 (0) - - Tonga 0 (0) 0 (0) - - Tuvalu 0 (0) 0 (0) - - Vanuatu 0 (3) 0 (0) 0.00 135 Viet Nam 30 198 (65 607) 140 (334) 2 447.14 0 Wallis and Futuna 0 (454) 0 (7) 0.00 75 Total 210 981 (4 060 268) 2 225 (60 675) 7 044.86 0 Data continues to be collected and may change according to Member States’ daily reports.

Table 2. Countries or areas in the Western Pacific Region that have reported variants of concern, as of 21 July 2021 10:00 (GMT+8)

Variant detected

Country or area B.1.1.7 B.1.351 P.1 B.1.617.2 (Alpha) (Beta) (Gamma) (Delta) Australia X X X X Brunei Darussalam X X Cambodia X X China X X X X Fiji X French Polynesia X X X X Guam X X X X Japan X X X X Lao PDR X X Malaysia X X X Mongolia X X New Caledonia X New Zealand X X X X Papua New Guinea X Philippines X X X X Republic of Korea X X X X Singapore X X X X Viet Nam X X X Wallis and Futuna X

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #62 21 July 2021 Period of Report: 14 July 2021 to 20 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021, 10:00 (GMT+8)

New guidance ● On 12 July 2021, WHO Headquarters (HQ) published Infection prevention and control during health care when coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is suspected or confirmed. This document provides interim guidance on infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies during health care when coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is suspected or confirmed. It is intended for health workers, including health-care managers and IPC teams at the facility level, but it is also relevant for the national and district/provincial levels. In this updated version, the scope and structure of the earlier guidance have been expanded with several new or revised sections, including implications of variants of concern and vaccination for IPC practices. ● On 12 July 2021, WHO HQ published COVID-19 Vaccines: safety surveillance manual. Module on safety surveillance of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant and breastfeeding women. The module provides an overview of factors to consider when monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines administered to pregnant and breastfeeding women. It describes how national routine adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) surveillance should be adapted to cater for this specific group of population using both passive and active surveillance methods. Specific considerations and limitations of each method are provided as well as tools for implementation. ● On 12 July 2021, WHO HQ published Diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccine readiness, and other health products for COVID-19. This tool was developed to assess present and surge capacities for the treatment of COVID-19 in health facilities. It allows health facilities to assess the availability and status of stockout of critical COVID-19 medicines, equipment and supplies on site and to identify areas that need further attention to enable the facility to respond effectively to the pandemic. New communications materials 1 in 3 people who get #COVID19 won’t show any symptoms and can spread the virus to others without knowing it. #StaySafe by maintaining all the protective measures. It helps to protect you, your loved ones and your community. #DoItAll #Coronavirus

WPRO Facebook

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #62 21 July 2021 Period of Report: 14 July 2021 to 20 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021, 10:00 (GMT+8)

1 in 3 people who get #COVID19 won’t show any symptoms. Remember - LOW risk does not equal NO risk. A person infected with COVID-19 may not experience any symptoms and, without knowing, can transmit the virus to others. Keep up all the protective measures. It helps protect you, your loved ones and your community. #DoItAll #StaySafe #Coronavirus WPRO Facebook

Key information and announcements

Information and planning ● WHO WPRO is continuing to monitor incidence of COVID-19 and transmission levels within countries and areas across the Region. Updated information is available on the WPRO dashboard.

Strategic communication ● A new commentary from Dr Ying-Ru Jacqueline Lo, WHO Representative to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, has been published on WHO website highlighting that “only through unity can we come out as winners in this battle against COVID-19”.

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