Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 20 April 2023

Globally, over 2.8 million new cases and almost 18 000 deaths were reported in the last 28 days (20 March to 16 April 2023), a decrease of 27% and 32%, respectively, compared to the previous 28 days (20 February to 19 March 2023). Contrary to the overall trend, significant increases in reported cases and deaths were seen in some WHO regions and countries. As of 16 April 2023, over 763 million confirmed cases and over 6.9 million deaths have been reported globally.

In this edition, we include:

• The COVID-19 epidemiological update at the global and the regional levels
• An update on the SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest (VOI) and variants under monitoring (VUM)
• An update on hospitalizations and ICU admissions related to COVID-19