Day: March 20, 2022

In the context of the increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths reported mainly from countries in the WHO Regions of Africa, Europe, and the Western Pacific, the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) recommends Member States continue to prepare for and respond to a potential similar increase within the countries and territories in the Region of the Americas.

Situation Summary

Following 12 consecutive weeks of a substantial increase in weekly reported cases at the global level, a declining trend in COVID-19 cases has been observed since epidemiological week (EW) 4 of 2022, and in deaths (since EW 6 of 2022). However, in EW 10 of 2022, a relative increase in the global number of new cases was reported, as a result of increases in 3 of the 6 WHO Regions: Western Pacific (29%), Africa (12%), and Europe (2%)(1) (Figure 1).

At the global level, the countries that reported the largest relative increase in new cases during EW 10 of 2022 were: Viet Nam (65%), the Republic of Korea (44%), the Netherlands (42%), and Germany (22%) (1). Additionally, at the global level, the variant of concern (VOC) Omicron is currently the predominant circulating variant and has displaced VOC Delta. Among the total number of sequences published in the GISAID platform in the last 30 days, 99% corresponded to VOC Omicron and 0.1% to VOC Delta. As of 18 March 2022, most of the VOC Omicron sequences published in the GISAID platform correspond to the BA.1 (45.3%) and BA.1.1 (37.8%) sublineages, while BA.2 accounts for 16.6% and BA.3 accounts for 0.03% of the VOC Omicron sequences (Figure 2) (1, 2).

Source: World Health Organization

Executive summary

A large and severe drought has been affecting the western Euro-Mediterranean region. Dry conditions in the Iberian Peninsula are related to an acute lack of precipitation in the first two months of 2022, preceded by a substantial deficit in the last months of 2021. Over the coastal regions of northern Africa and over Andalucía the drought can be attributed to a longer period of below-average precipitation, most likely overlapping with the recent and intense drought event.

The vegetation response in the region still shows better than normal conditions, thanks to a slightly warmer than usual winter season. However, the lack of precipitation may cause severe impacts in spring and summer. In northern Africa, the persistent drought conditions already caused bad vegetation conditions.

The severe precipitation deficit is already posing a threat to water resources and livestock, while heavy impacts on crops and reservoir storage are expected if the drought conditions will persist.

Severely drier than normal conditions are forecasted in the western Euro-Mediterranean region. These forecasts currently represent the main concern, as they point to a possible evolution of the ongoing drought into an extreme event. Monitoring such evolution in the next months is essential for risk and impact assessment.

Source: European Commission – Joint Research Centre