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The highest numbers of new cases were reported from India (1 364 668 new cases; 26% decrease), Brazil (420 981 new cases; 7% decrease), Argentina (219 910 new cases; 3% increase), the United States of America (153 587 new cases; 18% decrease), and Colombia (150 517 new cases; 40% increase).

Table 1. Newly reported and cumulative COVID-19 cases and deaths, by WHO Region, as of 30 May 2021**

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For the latest data and other updates on COVID-19, please see:

• WHO COVID-19 Dashboard

• WHO COVID-19 Weekly Operational Update and previous editions of the Weekly Epidemiological Update

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Special Focus: Update on SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest (VOIs) and Variants of Concern (VOCs)

WHO, in collaboration with national authorities, institutions and researchers, routinely assesses if variants of SARS-CoV-2 alter clinical presentation and severity, or if they show increases in transmissibility that require national health authorities to implement strengthened public health and social measures (PHSM) to control disease spread. Systems have been established in WHO to detect “signals” of potential Variants of Concern (VOCs) or Variants of Interest (VOIs) and assess these based on the risk posed to global public health. Here we provide updates on new WHO labels and classifications of VOCs and VOIs, as well as the updated geographical distribution of VOCs. National authorities may choose to designate other variants of local interest/concern.

New easy-to-say VOI and VOCs labels for public communication

On 31 May 2021, WHO announced new easy-to-say/easy-to-remember VOI and VOC labels to facilitate public communication about SARS-CoV-2 variants. The need for easy-to-say labels of SARS-CoV-2 VOI and VOC arose for several reasons, including:

• the existence of different genomic nomenclature systems, which serve important scientific purposes but complicate public communication around variants due to the complexities of the labels assigned (e.g., B.1.617.2, 21A/S:478K),

• the common but potentially stigmatizing use of the name of the country or area of first detection of a variant as an easily recognizable label.

WHO has now assigned labels based upon the Greek alphabet to globally classified VOCs and VOIs (Table 2), and will sequentially assign new labels for newly-designated global VOCs and VOIs in the future. If all 24 letters become assigned, other lists of labels will be announced by WHO. As VOIs and VOCs are reclassified based on the evolving situation, it is expected that these will retain their label, and labels of formed VOIs/VOCs will not be reused for labeling new emerging variants.

We recommend Member States, health authorities, media and others communicating on SARS-CoV-2 variants to adopt the WHO labels in public communication as soon as practical. Importantly, these labels do not replace the three current nomenclature systems for tracking and scientific reporting of SARS-CoV-2 genetic evolution: GISAID, Nextstrain, and Pango – these systems remain critical and will continue to be used in scientific communications.

Recent changes to the VOIs and VOCs classifications

As the global public health risks posed by specific SARS-CoV-2 variants becomes better understood and  evolves, WHO will continue to update the list of global VOIs and VOCs. This is necessary to adjust to the emergence of new variants, their changing epidemiology (e.g., the incidence of some variants is rapidly declining), and our understanding of their phenotypic impacts as new evidence becomes available and is shared.

First, available information allows for the delineation of VOC B.1.617. B.1.617 viruses are divided in three lineages: B.1.617.1, B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.3. Available findings for lineages B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 were initially used to designate B.1.617 a global VOC on 11 May 2021. Since then, it has become evident that greater public health risks are currently associated with B.1.617.2, while lower rates of transmission of other  lineages have been observed. To reflect this updated information, B.1.617 has been delineated as follows:

• B.1.617.2 remains a VOC and labelled variant Delta – we continue to observe significantly increased transmissibility and a growing number of countries reporting outbreaks associated with this variant. Further studies into the impact of this variant remain a high priority for WHO.
• B.1.617.1 has been reclassified to a VOI and labelled variant Kappa – while also demonstrating increased transmissibility (in specified locations), global prevalence appears to be declining. This variant will continue to be monitored and reassessed regularly.
• B.1.617.3 is no longer classified as either a VOI or VOC – relatively few reports of this variant have been submitted to date.

Second, variant B.1.616, which was first detected in France following investigations into an unusual cluster of cases in a hospital, is no longer classified as a VOI. Local authorities have reported that the outbreak has been controlled, and no further detections within or outside of France have been reported since late-April 2021.1 Further local and regional monitoring remains prudent, given B.1.616 was associated with potential increased disease severity and reduced detections via nasopharyngeal samples.2

Variants no longer classified as VOCs or VOIs will continue to be monitored as part of the overall evolution of SARS-CoV-2, and may be reassessed pending new evidence indicating an increased public health risk.

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1Santé publique France, COVID-19 : point épidémiologique du 27 mai 2021. https://www.santepubliquefrance.fr/maladies-et-traumatismes/maladies-et-infections-respiratoires/infection-a-coronavirus/documents/bulletin-national/covid-19-point-epidemiologique-du-27-mai-2021

2Fillatre et al. A new SARS-CoV-2 variant poorly detected by RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal samples, with high lethality (preprint). https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.05.21256690v1

Geographic distribution

As surveillance activities to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants are strengthened at local and national levels, including by strategic genomic sequencing, the number of countries/areas/territories (hereafter countries) reporting VOCs has continued to increase (Figures 3, Annex 2). This distribution should be interpreted with due consideration of surveillance limitations, including differences in sequencing capacities and sampling strategies between countries.

WHO recommendations

Virus evolution is expected, and the more SARS-CoV-2 circulates, the more opportunities it has to evolve. Reducing transmission through established and proven disease control methods such as those outlined in the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, as well as avoiding introductions into animal populations are crucial aspects of the global strategy to reduce the occurrence of mutations that have negative public health implications. PHSM remain critical to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Evidence from multiple countries with extensive transmission of VOCs has indicated that the PHSM, including infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in health facilities has been effective in reducing COVID-19 case incidence, which has led to a reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among COVID-19 patients. National and local authorities are encouraged to continue strengthening existing PHSM, IPC and disease control activities. Authorities are also encouraged to strengthen surveillance and sequencing capacities and apply a systematic approach to provide a representative indication of the extent of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants based on the local context, and to detect unusual events.

Additional resources

• Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants

• Working definitions of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Variants of Concern

• COVID-19 new variants: Knowledge gaps and research

• Genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2: a guide to implementation for maximum impact on public health

• Considerations for implementing and adjusting PHSM in the context of COVID-19

• COVID-19 Situation Reports from WHO Regional Offices and partners: AFRO, AMRO/PAHO, EMRO, EURO/ECDC, SEARO, WPRO

• ACT accelerator diagnostic pillar, FIND test directory

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Special focus: Early lessons from country implementation of COVID-19 vaccination

Safe and effective vaccines, together with non-pharmaceutical interventions are a game-changing tool in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 26 May 2021, over 1.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered globally, and over 736 million individuals have received at least one dose (see the WHO COVID- 19 Dashboard for the latest figures). However, vaccination rates are not uniform across countries. The lowest-income countries had access to vaccines later than higher-income countries, and have vaccinated a substantially lower proportion of their target populations.3 We briefly summarize early lessons learned by thematic areas and share qualitative insights gained during the early phases of rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, based on anecdotal reports from regional early learning webinars and discussions with countries, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs).

Planning and coordination

Most LMICs prepared National Deployment and Vaccination Plans in anticipation of vaccine supply becoming available. They also established governance structures and coordination processes for planning and overseeing deployment of vaccination activities as part of national response plans. In several countries, engaging with the offices of heads of state facilitated collaboration across health programmes and sectors, which enabled coordinated vaccination.

Identifying and prioritizing groups at the highest risk of exposure or severe outcomes facilitated operational planning. While many countries were able to roughly estimate the size of their priority target groups, information on who they are and where they resided was often unknown. Several countries established digital platforms and used community mobilizers to identify and pre-register priority target groups to facilitate vaccine delivery.

The findings from scenario-based simulation exercises or drills helped identify unanticipated operational bottlenecks, and were used to update operational plans. At the subnational level, micro plans facilitated vaccine roll-out and session planning, through estimation of the target population size at each administrative level, requisite resources including vaccine doses, supplies and human resources. When such micro plans did not exist or were inadequately prepared at the district and lower administrative levels, it contributed to delayed or slower vaccine roll-out.

Costing and financing

While costing tools were developed to assist countries in estimating vaccine and operational costs, these tools were complex, and many countries lacked the capacity to use them to develop timely and robust cost estimates. Some LMICs were quickly able to mobilize domestic resources to support vaccine rollout, whereas other LMIC governments did not allocate adequate domestic resources. In the past, vaccination for epidemics was accompanied by external support to partially cover operational costs. This was not the case with the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. The dependency on donors and failure to secure funds in time led to delays in conducting health worker training, compromise on the quality of these trainings, or lowered motivation among health workers due to delayed payment of salaries. In addition, disbursement and distribution of funds to the lowest administrative levels was not streamlined in some countries, leading to a lack of funds, even though funds were available at the national level.


3 pandem-ic. 2021.Vaccination by income. Available from: https://pandem-ic.com/vaccination-trackers/

Supply chain and logistics

Most LMICs utilized findings from national Effective Vaccine Management (EVM) assessments and benefited from support by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to optimize their cold chain equipment. Therefore, most had sufficient cold chain capacity to handle the initial shipment of vaccines. Several countries also successfully managed vaccines requiring ultra-cold chain storage and transport; some of them using equipment procured for Ebola vaccines.

Several countries had multiple vaccine products through donations, the COVAX facility, and direct procurement from manufacturers. Managing multiple vaccines with different cold chain requirements without vaccine vial monitors led to logistical challenges. A few of these products had not received WHO Emergency Use Listing and countries did not have the requisite information on product characteristics to enable logistical planning. The initial doses of vaccines that countries received had a relatively short shelf-life of six months at the time of release, often with a shorter shelf-life at the time of delivery to countries. Where there was slow roll-out of vaccines, it was challenging to use them in a timely manner. On occasion, vaccines were re-distributed to other countries to avoid wastage.

Vaccine delivery

While most LMICs had experience with conducting mass vaccination campaigns, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) at vaccination sites added some challenges to maintain a smooth workflow. Countries provided safe spaces for observation of vaccinees for severe allergic reactions following vaccination, and trained personnel and provided supplies to manage such reactions. Several countries reported lower than expected turn-out at sessions due to vaccine hesitancy, resulting in a high volume of open vials to be wasted.

Demand creation and hesitancy

Early communication to create awareness and prepare communities for the vaccine roll-out, as well as public vaccination of the political and religious leaders improved vaccine uptake. Several countries also successfully utilized social media to heighten public awareness. However, not all countries had the capacity to cope with the magnitude of misinformation or disinformation being disseminated on media platforms and to mount a timely and comprehensive response.

Hesitancy, especially among health and care workers, driven by fear of adverse effects of specific products reported in the media, further fuelled by suspension of some vaccines in high-income countries contributed to low vaccine uptake. Hesitancy among health and care workers was reported to have a ripple effect in other priority groups.

Digital monitoring

Digital registration and data monitoring systems played a key role in monitoring vaccination, generating digital vaccination certificates in several countries, and sending reminders for follow-up vaccination. Digital pre-registration systems, where established, also improved operational flow and enabled the achievement of vaccination targets for each session. However, the lack of digital tools for data entry at the service delivery points impeded data collection in a few countries. In at least one country where hybrid paper-based and digital platforms were used, the lack of proper planning led to inadequate numbers of data entry clerks and delayed data entry and transmission. Several countries reported delayed and incomplete reporting from the lower administrative levels and the limited granular and timely data may have prohibited operational decisions.

Safety monitoring

Most countries leveraged the existing safety surveillance system for immunization to establish reporting of adverse events following vaccination and regularly reported data to WHO and global pharmacovigilance databases. A few countries lacked the capacity to investigate and conduct causality assessments of serious adverse events and in some, key information was not collected to enable adequate investigation. In other instances, decisions to halt vaccination following a reported death contributed to misperceptions about the safety of the vaccine.

Lessons learned

Lessons learned from the early phases of vaccine introduction will inform ongoing vaccination activities. Sharing early lessons through periodic webinars and peer-to-peer exchanges allowed countries to adopt best practices or successfully implement solutions to operational challenges. Additionally, WHO and partner agencies have used these insights to develop or update guidance and information notes to support countries. In the area of costing and financing, the COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction and deployment Tool (CVIC) was updated and a mechanism to provide direct technical support to countries was established to help improve operational cost estimates. New sources of funding are being developed to support LMICs with filling budgetary gaps to meet immediate operational needs and longer-term financing. Insights from the early introduction of COVID-19 vaccination can further be leveraged to create more resilient immunization systems, foster greater integration in primary health care delivery, and accelerate the implementation of the life-course approach to deliver a package of primary health care interventions.

WHO regional overviews

African Region

The African Region reported over 52 000 new cases and over 1100 new deaths, a 22% and an 11% increase respectively compared to the previous week. Case incidence increased after four consecutive weeks of a plateau in new weekly cases. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from South Africa (26 498 new cases; 44.7 new cases per 100 000 population; a 24% increase), Uganda (2424 new cases; 5.3 new cases per 100 000; a 191% increase), and Kenya (2377 new cases; 4.4 new cases per 100 000; a 13% decrease). The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from South Africa (591 new
deaths; 1.0 new deaths per 100 000 population; similar to the number reported in the previous week), Kenya (92 new deaths; 0.2 new deaths per 100 000; a 92% increase), and Ethiopia (75 new deaths; 0.1 new deaths per 100 000; an 18% decrease).

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Region of the Americas

The Region of the Americas reported just under 1.2 million new cases and over 31 000 new deaths, figures similar to those of the previous week. The number of new cases has remained relatively stable for a fourth consecutive week, while the number of deaths has remained stable for a third consecutive week. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Brazil (420 981 new cases; 198.1 new cases per 100 000; a 7% decrease), Argentina (219 910 new cases; 486.6 new cases per 100 000; a 3% increase), and the United States of America (153 587 new cases; 46.4 new cases per 100 000; an 18% decrease). The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from Brazil (12 736 new deaths; 6.0 new deaths per 100 000; a 7% decrease), the United States of America (4596 new deaths; 1.4 new deaths per 100 000; a 14% increase), and Colombia (3488 new deaths; 6.9 new deaths per 100 000; similar to the number reported in the previous week).

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Eastern Mediterranean Region

The Eastern Mediterranean Region reported over 212 000 new cases, similar to the number reported in the previous week, and over 3500 new deaths, an 18% decrease compared to the previous week. While small decreases have been seen in case incidence for the past three weeks, death incidence continued a steep decline for a fifth consecutive week. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from the Islamic Republic of Iran (69 331 new cases; 82.5 new cases per 100 000; a 17% decrease), Iraq (29 459 new cases; 73.2 new cases per 100 000; an 8% increase), and Bahrain (20 829 new cases; 1224.1 new cases per 100 000; a 32% increase).

The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from the Islamic Republic of Iran (1360 new deaths; 1.6 new deaths per 100 000; a 22% decrease), Pakistan (503 new deaths; 0.2 new deaths per 100 000; a 29% decrease), and Tunisia (392 new deaths; 3.3 new deaths per 100 000; a 3% decrease).

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European Region

The European Region reported just under 431 000 new cases and over 11 000 new deaths, a 26% and a 17% decrease respectively compared to the previous week. The number of cases and deaths have steeply decreased for the past six and seven weeks respectively. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from the Russian Federation (61 937 new cases; 42.4 new cases per 100 000; similar to the number reported in the previous week), France (60 600 new cases; 93.2 new cases per 100 000; a 26% decrease), and Turkey (57 330 new cases; 68.0 new cases per 100 000; a 20% decrease).

The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from the Russian Federation (2680 new deaths; 1.8 new deaths per 100 000; a 3% increase), Turkey (1200 new deaths; 1.4 new deaths per 100 000; a 22% decrease), and Ukraine (1104 new deaths; 2.5 new deaths per 100 000; a 15% decrease).

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South-East Asia Region

The South-East Asia Region reported over 1.5 million new cases and over 29 000 new deaths, a 24% and an 8% decrease respectively compared to the previous week. Case incidence continued to follow a sharp decline for a third consecutive week, and death incidence decreased for the first time since early March 2021, primarily driven by trends reported in India. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from India (1 364 668 new cases; 98.9 new cases per 100 000; a 26% decrease), Nepal (47 779 new cases; 164.0 new cases per 100 000; an 18% decrease), and Indonesia (39 986 new cases; 14.6 new cases per 100 000; a 20% increase).

The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from India (26 706 new deaths; 1.9 new deaths per 100 000; an 8% decrease), Indonesia (1057 new deaths; 0.4 new deaths per 100 000; a 15% decrease), and Nepal (1010 new deaths; 3.5 new deaths per 100 000; a 22% decrease).

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Western Pacific Region

The Western Pacific Region reported over 139 000 new cases, a 6% increase compared to the previous week and just under 2100 new deaths, a similar number to the previous week. The numbers of both cases and deaths remain at the highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Malaysia (53 419 new cases; 165.0 new cases per 100 000; a 38% increase), the Philippines (38 362 new cases; 35.0 new cases per 100 000; a 4% decrease), and Japan (27 400 new cases; 21.7 new cases per 100 000; a 24%  decrease).

The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from the Philippines (776 new deaths; 0.7 new deaths per 100 000; a 13% decrease), Japan (684 new deaths; 0.5 new deaths per 100 000; a 12% decrease), and Malaysia (451 new deaths; 1.4 new deaths per 100 000; a 35% increase).

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Key weekly updates

WHO Director-General's key messages

• In his opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 28 May 2021, the Director-General called on world leaders to support a massive push to vaccinate at least 10% of the population of every country by September, and 30% by the end of the year. If countries immediately share doses with COVAX, and if manufacturers prioritize COVAX, this target can be reached and livessaved.

• Ultimately, the fastest way to bring this pandemic to an end is to dramatically increase global manufacturing of vaccines, tests, treatments and other medical supplies, and ensure equitable access. A year ago, more than 40 Heads of State joined WHO to form C-TAP, the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool.

• In his closing remarks at the 74th World Health Assembly, the Director-General reminded that the theme of this Assembly was “Ending this pandemic, preventing the next: building together a healthier, safer and fairer world” while stressing that we still have a lot of work to do to end this pandemic. The tailored and consistent use of public health measures, in combination with equitable vaccination, remains the way out.

Technical guidance and other resources

• Technical guidance

• WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard

• Weekly COVID-19 Operational Updates

• WHO COVID-19 case definitions

• COVID-19 Supply Chain Inter-Agency Coordination Cell Weekly Situational Update

• Research and Development

• Online courses on COVID-19 in official UN languages and in additional national languages

• The Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) outlining the support the international community can provide to all countries to prepare and respond to the virus

• Updates from WHO regions: o African Region

      o Region of the Americas

      o Eastern Mediterranean Region

      o South-East Asia Region

      o European Region

      o Western Pacific Region

• Recommendations and advice for the public: o Protect yourself

     o Questions and answers

     o Travel advice

• EPI-WIN: tailored information for individuals, organizations and communities

• WHO Academy COVID-19 mobile learning app

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*Newly reported in this update. Columns for B.1.617.1 (Kappa) and B.1.617.3 were removed this week according to changes in VOC designation.

“Delta+” reflects countries/territories/areas reporting detection of B.1.617 without further specification of lineage at this time. These will be reallocated as further details become available.

“●” indicates that information for this variant was received by WHO from official sources.

“○” indicates that information for this variant was received by WHO from unofficial sources and will be reviewed as more information become available.

Variants Gamma for Bangladesh and Delta for Panama were excluded this week based on further information received.

**Includes countries/territories/areas reporting the detection of VOCs among travelers (e.g., imported cases detected at points of entry), or local cases (detected in the community). Efforts are ongoing to differentiate these in future reports. See also Annex 3: Data, table and figure notes.

Annex 3. Data, table and figure notes

Data presented are based on official laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case and deaths reported to WHO by country/territories/areas, largely based upon WHO case definitions and surveillance guidance. While steps are taken to ensure accuracy and reliability, all data are subject to continuous verification and change, and caution must be taken when interpreting these data as several factors influence the counts presented, with variable underestimation of true case and death incidence, and variable delays to reflecting these data at global level. Case detection, inclusion criteria, testing strategies, reporting practices, and data cut-off and lag times differ between countries/territories/areas. A small number of countries/territories/areas report combined probable and laboratory-confirmed cases. Differences are to be expected between information products published by WHO, national public health authorities, and other sources. Due to public health authorities conducting data reconciliation exercises which remove large numbers of cases or deaths from their total counts, negative numbers may be displayed in the new cases/deaths columns as appropriate. When additional details become available that allow the subtractions to be suitably apportioned to previous days, graphics will be updated accordingly.

A record of historic data adjustment made is available upon request by emailing epi-data-support@who.int. Please specify the country(ies) of interest, time period(s), and purpose of the request/intended usage. Prior situation reports will not be edited; see covid19.who.int for the most up-to-date data.

Global totals include 758 cases and 13 deaths reported from international conveyances.

The designations employed, and the presentation of these materials do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. Countries, territories and areas are arranged under the administering WHO region. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers’ products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters.

[1] All references to Kosovo should be understood to be in the context of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). In the map, number of cases of Serbia and Kosovo (UNSCR 1244, 1999) have been aggregated for visualization purposes.

i Excludes countries, territories, and areas that have never reported a confirmed COVID-19 case (Annex 1), or the detection of a variant of concern (Annex 2).

ii Transmission classification is based on a process of country/territory/area self-reporting. Classifications are reviewed on a weekly basis and may be revised as new information becomes available. Differing degrees of transmission may be present within countries/territories/areas. For further information, please see: Considerations for implementing and adjusting public health and social measures in the context of COVID-19.

iii “Territories” include territories, areas, overseas dependencies and other jurisdictions of similar status.


Post time: Jul-19-2021