COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Outside of China Have Overtaken Chinese Numbers

Coronavirus Map: Distribution of COVID-19 cases as of March 16, 2020. Credit: WHO

Note: There is now a newer Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation Report 57.

WHO Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation Report 56

• Four new countries/territories/areas (African Region (2), European Region (1), and Region of the Americas(1)) in have reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
• The WHO COVID-19 Incident Management Team is working closely with partners across all levels to provide support to countries, strengthen technical and operational networking and collaboration, and support operational coordination of the global response. For more information, please see the Subject in Focus below.
• Two new technical guidance documents were published today: Critical preparedness, readiness and response actions for COVID-19 and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Action Plan Guidance

Risk Assessment

China: Very High

Regional Level: Very High

Global Level: Very High

Coronavirus Situation in Numbers

Globally

• 167,511 confirmed cases (13,903 new)
• 6,606 deaths (862 new)

China

• 81,077 confirmed cases (29 new)
• 3,218 deaths (14 new)

Outside of China

• 86,434 confirmed cases (13,874 new)
• 151 countries/territories (4 new)
• 3,388 deaths (848 new)

Subject in Focus: Partner Coordination

The WHO COVID-19 Incident Management Team is working closely with partners across all levels to provide support to countries, strengthen technical and operational networking and collaboration, and support operational coordination of the global response.

To strengthen day-to-day operations, key agencies are embedded in the global team, including UNICEF, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The major partner coordination mechanisms are the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Initiative; the Global Health Cluster (GHC); and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), which includes technical agencies, major NGOs, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the IFRC, and other international organizations.

The core elements of health operations include clinical care and management, laboratory capacity strengthening, surveillance, case and contact tracing, infection prevention and control, risk communications and community engagement. These core elements are supported by technical networks worldwide, which draw on and support capacities in GOARN, GHC, and EMTs.In the area of risk communications and community engagement, IFRC, UNICEF and WHO have established a dedicated tripartite group to scale up and implement activities globally.

In response to the call from WHO, GOARN partners have mobilized international technical assistance to support preparedness and response missions at country request, and to also support capacity in WHO regions and headquarters in Geneva. In addition, Public Health England, the Indo-Pacific Health Security Centre, the Australian government, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention have sent staff to WHO to work on COVID-19 response in Geneva, Switzerland, Manila, Philippines, and New Delhi, India.

The GHCand country Health Clusters have placed heavy emphasis on the following:

• Readiness planning
• Support to in-country key pillar leads and agencies
• Mapping partner capacity and geographical presence
• Ensuring coordination and collaboration on technical guidance and support for preparedness and response for fragile and vulnerable populations.

The EMT initiative is working with the global and regional networks of emergency medical teams currently on the front lines of major national outbreaks and supporting international deployment of support where needed and requested.

A major focus of the response is on case detection and contact tracing. To support country activities, partners are working closely on the deployment and implementation of Go. Data, an outbreak investigation tool for field data collection during public health emergencies. Over 50 countries have requested support, and GOARN partners are implementing a strategy for wide-scale rollout including direct country support, technical briefings, webinar/online presentations, and comprehensive remote support.

Countries, territories or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, March 16, 2020

Recommendations and Advice for the Public

If you are not in an area where COVID-19 is spreading, or if you have not traveled from one of those areas or have not been in close contact with someone who has and is feeling unwell, your chances of getting it are currently low. However, it’s understandable that you may feel stressed and anxious about the situation. It’s a good idea to get the facts to help you accurately determine your risks so that you can take reasonable precautions.

Your healthcare provider, your national public health authority and your employer are all potential sources of accurate information on COVID-19 and whether it is in your area. It is important to be informed of the situation where you live and take appropriate measures to protect yourself.

If you are in an area where there is an outbreak of COVID-19 you need to take the risk of infection seriously. Follow the advice issued by national and local health authorities. Although for most people COVID-19 causes only mild illness, it can make some people very ill. More rarely, the disease can be fatal. Older people, and those with pre-existing medical conditions (such as high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes) appear to be more vulnerable.