MANILA (UPDATED) — The World Health Organization reported almost 1.5 million new COVID-19 cases globally in the last 28 days, or from July 10 to August 6, 2023, an increase of 80 percent compared to the previous 28 days.

Deaths recorded from July 10 to August 6, 2023, were over 2,500, a decrease of 57 percent.

“While five WHO regions have reported decreases in the number of both cases and deaths, the Western Pacific Region has reported an increase in cases and a decrease in deaths,” the WHO said in its August 10 situational report.

It added that reported cases did not “accurately represent infection rates due to the reduction in testing and reporting globally.”

The WHO reminded the public that "COVID-19 remains a major threat" despite lifting the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern for the disease last May.

“WHO continues to urge Member States to maintain, not dismantle, their established COVID-19 Infrastructure. It Is crucial to sustain early warning, surveillance and reporting, variant tracking, early clinical care provision, administration of vaccine boosters to high-risk groups, improvements in ventilation, and regular communication,” it said.

The WHO said the omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 remained the most prevalent, while XBB.1.5 continued to show a declining trend.

The subvariant EG.5 has been reported from a total of 48 countries with its prevalence continuing to increase, going from 7.5 percent in week 25 to 17.4 percent in week 29.

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The WHO said the public health risk posed by EG.5 was evaluated as low globally, “aligning with the risk associated with XBB.1.16 and XBB. 1.5.”

“While EG.5 has shown increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, there have been no reported changes in disease severity to date,” the WHO said.

“While concurrent increases in the proportion of EG.5 and COVID-19 hospitalizations (lower than previous waves) have been observed in countries such as Japan and the Republic of Korea, no associations have been made between these hospitalizations and EG.5. However, due to its growth advantage and immune escape characteristics, EG.5 may cause a rise in case incidence and become dominant in some countries or even globally.”

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PHILIPPINE CASES

The Philippine Department of Health on Monday reported 924 new coronavirus cases in the previous week or from August 7 to 13. It noted that the average daily COVID infections were around 132, which is 5 percent lower than the preceding week or from July 31 to August 6.

Of the new cases, the DOH said 11 were in severe or critical condition. Meanwhile, the health department logged 20 new coronavirus deaths.

As of Monday, August 14, the Philippines has 3,189 active coronavirus cases. Some 4.108 million Filipinos have contracted the virus since the pandemic began in 2020.

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US CASES

The US, meanwhile, also saw an increase in COVID cases.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), weekly hospitalizations in the US logged a 12.5 percent increase to arpimd 9,000 for the week of July 23 to 29 from about 6,300 in the middle of June.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health reported 141 cases on August 11, or 13 cases lower than the week prior.