Globally, the numbers of weekly COVID-19 cases and deaths have increased for more than a month. During the week of 15-21 November 2021, nearly 3.6 million confirmed new cases and over 51,000 deaths were reported, reflecting a 6% increase for cases and deaths as compared to the previous week.
The European Region reported an 11% increase in new weekly cases, while the other regions reported a decrease or incidence similar to the previous week. The largest proportionate decrease was reported from the South-East Asia Region (11%), followed by the Eastern Mediterranean Region (9%). While the Western Pacific Region and the Region of the Americas reported relatively stable case incidence, they both reported large increases in new weekly deaths, 29% and 19% respectively. In contrast, the African and the South-East Asia regions reported a 30% and 19% decrease in new weekly deaths. The cumulative number of confirmed cases reported globally is now over 256 million and the cumulative number of deaths is more than 5.1 million.
In this edition, two special focus updates are provided on:
- Points of entry, international travel and transport in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
- SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) and Variants of Interest (VOIs)
