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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

External Situation Report #22

30 September 2020 Period of Report: 23 September 2020 to 29 September 2020 as of 30 September 2020, 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 16 Western Pacific Region (WPR) countries or areas within the

past seven days (Australia 121, Brunei Darussalam 1, Cambodia 2, China 133, French Polynesia 334,

Guam 253, Japan 3 242, Republic of Korea 596, Malaysia 777, New Caledonia 1, New Zealand 12,

Northern Mariana Islands 1, Papua New Guinea 7, Philippines 17 514, Singapore 115, and Viet Nam 26).

● Three countries or areas in the WPR which had reported cases in the past have reported no new cases

within the past seven days (Fiji, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Mongolia).

● American Samoa, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Niue,

Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna

have not reported a case to date.

Epi update COVID-19

Member States

16 countries or areas reporting

cases in the past 7 days

19 countries or areas reporting ZERO

cases for more than 7 days

Cases

23 135 past 7 days

611 273 cumulative cases

Deaths

522 past 7 days

13 342 cumulative deaths

Deployments COVID-19 response

185

total deployments

114

deployments completed

22 actively supporting

country offices

25

actively supporting regional office

27

currently supporting remotely

Supplies and logistics Personal protective equipment for health workers shipped to 21 countries or areas (as of 30 September 2020)

16 470 700 surgical masks

1 614 715 particulate respirators

387 129 medical gowns

289 717 goggles

709 560 face shields

20 379 bottles (100mL) alcohol-based

hand rub

892 201 pairs of gloves

332 928 laboratory

tests shipped

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

External Situation Report #22

30 September 2020 Period of Report: 23 September 2020 to 29 September 2020 as of 30 September 2020, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Weekly situation updates

● In the Western Pacific Region (WPR), 19 countries or areas have reported COVID-19 cases since December

2019. Between 23 to 29 September 2020, a total of 23 135 cases with 522 deaths have been reported,

for a cumulative 611 273 cases with 13 342 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 2.2%) as of 30

September 2020, 10:00 (GMT+8). Available data indicate most countries or areas in the WPR have

identified imported cases1 or localized community transmission. Papua New Guinea is believed to have

large-scale community transmission while in the Philippines there is community transmission in all

regions with three regions - NCR, Region 3, and Region 4A – showing higher transmission intensity and

indications of widespread community transmission. Figure 1 shows the geographical distribution of cases

reported in the last seven days.

● Globally, 33 249 563 COVID-19 cases with 1 000 040 deaths have been reported in 216 countries or areas

or territories (3.0% PFC) as of 29 September 15:13 CEST. New cases continue to increase in countries or

areas of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, European Region and South-East Asian Region, while

the trend continues to be stable in the Americas (outside the United States) and continues to decrease in

the African Region.

Figure 1. Countries or areas with reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, covering the period from 23 September to 29 September 2020, as of 30 September 2020 10:00 (GMT+8)

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 area, and there are clear signals of increasing transmission and severe outcomes.

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

External Situation Report #22

30 September 2020 Period of Report: 23 September 2020 to 29 September 2020 as of 30 September 2020, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Figure 2. Current selected non-pharmaceutical interventions in countries or areas due to COVID-19, covering the period from 23 September to 29 September 2020, as of 30 September 2020 10:00 (GMT+8)

Figure 3. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with >5 000 cases, covering the period from 23 September to 29 September 2020, as of 30 September 2020 10:00 (GMT+8)

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

External Situation Report #22

30 September 2020 Period of Report: 23 September 2020 to 29 September 2020 as of 30 September 2020, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Figure 4. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with <5 000 cases, covering the period from 23 September to 29 September 2020, as of 30 September 2020 10:00 (GMT+8)

Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 23 September to 29 September 2020, as of 30 September 2020 10:00 (GMT+8) (n = 611 273)

Country or area New cases

(cumulative) New deaths (cumulative)

Change in 7-day average

Days since last reported case

American Samoa 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Australia 121 (27 063) 28 (882) -11.9 0

Brunei Darussalam 1 (146) 0 (3) 0.1 5

Cambodia 2 (277) 0 (0) 0.3 1

China 133 (91 041) 2 (4 746) -5.9 0

Cook Islands 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Fiji 0 (32) 0 (2) 0 21

French Polynesia 334 (1 728) 2 (7) 10.7 0

Guam 253 (2 443) 10 (47) 4.1 0

Japan 3 242 (83 010) 52 (1 564) -11.1 0

Kiribati 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Korea, Republic of 596 (23 812) 25 (413) -16.6 0

Lao PDR 0 (23) 0 (0) 0 19

Malaysia 777 (11 135) 4 (134) 55.4 0

Marshall Islands, Republic of the 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Micronesia, Federal States of 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Mongolia 0 (313) 0 (0) -0.3 7

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

External Situation Report #22

30 September 2020 Period of Report: 23 September 2020 to 29 September 2020 as of 30 September 2020, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Country or area New cases

(cumulative) New deaths (cumulative)

Change in 7-day average

Days since last reported case

Nauru 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

New Caledonia 1 (27) 0 (0) 0.1 4

New Zealand 12 (1 480) 0 (25) -0.7 0

Niue 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Northern Mariana Islands 1 (70) 0 (2) -1.0 3

Palau 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Papua New Guinea 7 (534) 0 (7) -1.3 2

Philippines 17 514 (309 303) 399 (5 448) -695.4 0

Pitcairn Islands 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Samoa 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Singapore 115 (57 742) 0 (27) -3.4 0

Solomon Islands 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Tokelau 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Tonga 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Tuvalu 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Vanuatu 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Viet Nam 26 (1 094) 0 (35) 3.0 0

Wallis and Futuna 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

New science ● A systematic review (2) was published on the effects of temperature and humidity on the spread of

COVID-19. A full-text examination of 17 studies which met the review's eligibility criteria out of 517

initially screened articles was conducted. The review revealed that cold and dry conditions were

potentiating factors on the spread of the virus. Existing scientific evidence showed that warmer and

humid climates seem to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but these variables alone could not explain most

of the variability in disease transmission. Countries most affected by the disease were advised to focus

on health policies, even with climates less favorable to the virus. The certainty of evidence generated by

the review was classified as low due to the observational design of studies included with inherent risk of

bias; however, there was an overall great homogeneity observed among included studies.2

2 References

Mecenas P., et al. Effects of temperature and humidity on the spread of COVID-19: A systematic review. PLOS One, Published 18 September 2020, 15(9), e0238339. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238339.

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

External Situation Report #22

30 September 2020 Period of Report: 23 September 2020 to 29 September 2020 as of 30 September 2020, 10:00 (GMT+8)

New communications materials

Are you a nurse, doctor or other health professional? Here are some ways to cope with stress

during #COVID19. Facebook

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

External Situation Report #22

30 September 2020 Period of Report: 23 September 2020 to 29 September 2020 as of 30 September 2020, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Key information and announcements

Finance and administration

● A total of 185 deployments have been made since the onset of pandemic. At present, 22 experts are

supporting WHO Country Offices, 25 experts are actively supporting the WHO Regional Office, and 27

experts continue to provide remote support.

Health service delivery

● On 28 September 2020, the Asia Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health convened an Ad Hoc

Virtual Meeting on Investing in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for the Future. The Forum is supported

by WHO SEARO, and by WHO WPRO as secretariat. The meeting saw 29 parliamentarians from 16

countries in Asia and the Pacific come together and share experiences on the importance of investing in

health, to respond to the challenges of COVID-19. Parliamentarians discussed their priorities and actions

underway, to transform healthcare delivery with regard to facilities, workforce and institutions. This

meeting also reinforced the value of UHC as a means to achieve healthy populations and ensure that no

one is left behind, and also importantly as a tool to address the ongoing challenges of COVID-19.

Information and planning

● WHO WPRO has continued the weekly monitoring of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in Member

States across the region. Updated information is available in the WPRO dashboard.

Operations support and logistics

● WHO WPRO has shipped 1 000 Viral Transport Media (VTMs) and swabs to Mongolia, Lao People’s

Democratic Republic, and Cambodia.

● WHO WPRO has delivered around 20 000 surgical masks to the WHO Country Office in Cambodia.

● WHO WPRO has delivered supplies of 667 500 surgical masks and 43 600 respirators to Papua New

Guinea.

Partner coordination

● The 71st Session of the WHO Regional Committee (RC) for the Western Pacific will be convened virtually

from 6 to 9 October 2020, commencing at 09:00, Philippine time (GMT+8). The RC is the key governing

body in the Region, where Member States assemble to make key policy decisions for the Region and guide

WHO’s Secretariat functions. More information, including the live stream, can be found here.

Strategic communication

● WPRO website has been redesigned with an updated homepage featuring the latest information on the

COVID-19 pandemic in the region.