External Situation Report #32 · 2021. 1. 8. · 3 of 16 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #32 9 December 2020 Period of Report: 2 December 2020 to 8 December

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #32 9 December 2020 Period of Report: 2 December 2020 to 8 December 2020 as of 9 December 2020, 10:00 (GMT+8)

Overall strategy The World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) encourages countries to

improve detection of COVID-19 transmission, to respond to detection with quick and targeted measures, and

to focus efforts on preventing transmission among the vulnerable.

Key highlights ● New cases of COVID-19 were reported in 19 Western Pacific Region (WPR) countries or areas within the

past seven days (Australia 75, Brunei Darussalam 1, Cambodia 25, China 832, French Polynesia 773, Fiji 2,

Guam 133, Japan 15 454, Republic of Korea 4269, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) 2, Malaysia 8

137, Mongolia 87, New Caledonia 3, New Zealand 28, Northern Mariana Islands 7, Papua New Guinea 28,

Philippines 9 860, Singapore 57, and Viet Nam 26).

● Four countries or areas in the WPR that had reported cases in the past have reported no new cases within

the past seven or more days (Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna).

● American Samoa, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Pitcairn

Islands, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, and Tuvalu have not reported a case to date.

Epi update COVID-19

Member States

19 countries or areas reporting

cases in the past 7 days

16 countries or areas reporting ZERO

cases for more than 7 days

Cases

39 799 past 7 days

931 803 cumulative cases

Deaths

569 past 7 days

17 997 cumulative deaths

Deployments COVID-19 response

276 total

deployments

180 deployments

completed

53 actively supporting

country offices

22 actively supporting

regional office

21 currently supporting

remotely

Supplies and logistics Personal protective equipment for health workers shipped to 21 countries or areas (as of 9 December 2020)

7 796 428 surgical masks

1 682 507

particulate respirators

546 049

medical gowns

400 542

goggles

824 124 face shields

20 565

bottles (100mL) alcohol-based

hand rub

3 443 370 pairs of gloves

333 792 laboratory

tests shipped

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Weekly situation updates ● In the WPR, 23 countries and areas have reported COVID-19 cases since December 2019. Between 2 to 8

December 2020, a total of 39 799 cases with 569 deaths have been reported, for a cumulative 931 803

cases with 17 997 deaths (proportion of fatal cases (PFC) 1.9%) as of 9 December 2020, 10:00 (GMT+8).

Available data indicate most countries or areas in the WPR have identified imported cases1 or localized

community transmission. Rates of community transmission continue to increase in parts of Japan, the

Republic of Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where there is evidence of widespread transmission in

some parts of the country (National Capital Region, Region III, and Region IV-A). Data from French

Polynesia, Guam, and Papua New Guinea indicate large-scale community transmission. Figure 1 shows

the geographical distribution of cases reported in the last seven days.

● Globally, 67 210 778 COVID-19 cases with 1 540 777 deaths have been reported in 220 countries or areas

(2.3% PFC) as of 8 December 17:13 CEST. New cases continue to increase in countries or areas of the

Region of Americas and the Eastern Mediterranean Region, while the trend is relatively stable in the

African Region and decreasing in the South-East Asian Region and the European Region.

Figure 1. Countries or areas with reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, covering the period from 2 December to 8 December 2020, as of 9 December 2020 10:00 (GMT+8)

1 0-No cases—no cases detected and no clear signals of transmission for at least 28 days (or two incubation periods); 1-Imported cases—cases reported in the past 28 days are imported or linked to importation within 3 generations, and there are no clear signals of local transmission; 2-Localized community transmission—cases reported in the past 28 days are localized and cannot be linked to importations, though most are linked to a cluster, and there are no clear signals of large-scale community transmission; 3-Large-scale community transmission—most cases reported in the past 28 days have no known link to a cluster and are spread across the area, and there are clear signals of increasing transmission and severe outcomes.

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Figure 2. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with >5 000 cases, covering the period from 2 December to 8 December 2020, as of 9 December 2020 10:00 (GMT+8)

Figure 3. Epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases in countries or areas with

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Table 1. Countries or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, covering the period from 2 December to 8 December 2020, as of 9 December 2020 10:00 (GMT+8) (n = 931 803)

Country or area New cases

(cumulative) New deaths (cumulative)

Change in 7-day average

Days since last reported case

American Samoa 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Australia 75 (27 987) 0 (908) 1.57 0

Brunei Darussalam 1 (152) 0 (3) 0 0

Cambodia 25 (354) 0 (0) 0.43 0

China 832 (94 500) 3 (4 753) 11.14 0

Cook Islands 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Fiji 2 (44) 0 (2) -0.71 5

French Polynesia 773 (15 332) 10 (86) -38.43 0

Guam 133 (6 890) 1 (113) -13 0

Japan 15 454 (165 840) 248 (2 420) 66.86 0

Kiribati 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Korea, Republic of 4 269 (39 432) 30 (556) 120.14 0

Lao PDR 2 (41) 0 (0) 0.29 1

Malaysia 8 137 (75 306) 25 (388) -26.43 0

Marshall Islands 0 (4) 0 (0) 0 21

Micronesia, Federal States of 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Mongolia 87 (888) 0 (0) -6 0

Nauru 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

New Caledonia 3 (36) 0 (0) 0.29 0

New Zealand 28 (1 732) 0 (25) 1 0

Niue 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Northern Mariana Islands 7 (113) 0 (2) 0.71 0

Palau 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Papua New Guinea 28 (684) 0 (7) 0.29 1

Philippines 9 860 (442 785) 252 (8 670) -191.86 0

Pitcairn Islands 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Samoa 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Singapore 57 (58 285) 0 (29) 1.71 0

Solomon Islands 0 (17) 0 (0) 0 15

Tokelau 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

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Country or area New cases

(cumulative) New deaths (cumulative)

Change in 7-day average

Days since last reported case

Tonga 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Tuvalu 0 (0) 0 (0) - -

Vanuatu 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 28

Viet Nam 26 (1 377) 0 (35) -1.29 0

Wallis and Futuna 0 (3) 0 (0) 0 14

New science ● A study(2) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission in China’s Hunan

Province assessed the heterogeneity of the spread of COVID-19 among different groups. Data from 1 178

people in Hunan who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and more than 15 000 close contacts were analysed.

The transmission risk was lower for social contacts and community encounters, such as those on public

transport. Every extra day of contact raised transmission risk by 10%. The analysis suggests that Hunan’s

lockdown indeed increased the risk of spread of the disease within households, whose members spent

more time than normal at home together during lockdown, while social and community transmission fell

during the same period.

New guidance WHO headquarters published two new guidance publications this week:

● Mask use in the context of COVID-19: This document provides updated guidance on mask use in health

care and community settings, and during home care for COVID-19 cases. It is intended for policy makers,

public health and infection prevention and control professionals, health care managers and health

workers.

● Health workforce policy and management in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic response: This guide

consolidates COVID-19 guidance for human resources for health managers and policy-makers at national,

subnational and facility levels to design, manage and preserve the workforce necessary to manage the

COVID-19 pandemic and maintain essential health services. The guide identifies recommendations to

protect, support and empower health workers at individual, management, organizational and system

levels.

2 References Sun K., et al. Transmission heterogeneities, kinetics, and controllability of SARS-CoV-2. Science. Published 24 Nov 2020. doi: 10.1126/science.abe2424

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-in-the-community-during-home-care-and-in-healthcare-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-outbreakhttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/health-workforce-policy-and-management-in-the-context-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-responsehttps://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/11/23/science.abe2424

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New Communications materials

As the flu season starts in large parts of the world, many people are asking how they can tell the difference between #COVID19 or the flu.

The answer is that you can’t. The only way to know is by having a quality test administered by a well-trained health professional.

Facebook

Remember! Even if you take a #COVID19 test before traveling, you could still potentially get infected during travel.

To protect yourself and others when traveling during the New Normal, we must continue to practice COVID-19 protective behaviours at all times.

Learn more here

#InThisTogether Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/whowpro/photos/a.499491683555265/1732732703564484/https://bit.ly/3kWfHWp?fbclid=IwAR0qp6rbL82M3JMN0XGtJVOpBcUKqeCrCvmSzGqjweDCFGOxJM4oDnTQNDIhttps://www.facebook.com/hashtag/inthistogether?__eep__=6&__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWeXRuUJNj0BiSKJzp2E53T9zBcxTOGU5UVNb4P-d-gwa6612u3oXJhZnYGKVVSiFxprs4FkZfv99FFGvPAiSJjT0A0jS_nWAPDukGwM69iOHbf1p8Lr5VVFWv0TDot7_E8a0UzD5MrJb0r3qM_1b2WQESOs84aiB5_2iolHIRMEA&__tn__=*NK*Fhttps://www.facebook.com/whowpro/photos/a.499491683555265/1731638080340613/

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Key information and announcements

Finance and administration

● A total of 276 deployments have been made in the WPR since the onset of the pandemic. At present, 53

experts are supporting WHO Country Offices, 22 experts are supporting the WHO Regional Office from

Manila, and 21 experts continue to provide remote support.

Health Service Delivery

● WHO WPRO and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea reached a collaboration

agreement on the evaluation of application files for WHO's emergency use listing and prequalification of

COVID-19 vaccines which facilitates registration process through reliance and recognition, and which

meets basic qualification criteria for international procurement. WHO continues to discuss with other

advanced national regulatory authorities in the Region, including Therapeutic Goods Administration of

Australia, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan and National Medical Products Administration

of China for close collaboration on this effort.

● WHO published an addendum to the 23rd WHO Regulatory Update on COVID-19 as of 4 December 2020,

which includes the United Kingdom’s Medicine and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency (MHRA)'s

issuance of an emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 supplied by Pfizer and

BioNTech. WHO has received the data on the vaccine from the manufacturer and is reviewing it for

possible listing for emergency use. See: MHRA Conditions of authorisation for Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19

vaccine published 2 December 2020, and Information for healthcare professionals and the public about

the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine updated 8 December 2020.

● COVAX, the vaccine pillar of The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, has established a Regulatory

Advisory Group (RAG) that is co-lead by WHO and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The

RAG has members from Regulatory Agencies covering all WHO regions, including Argentina, Australia,

Brazil, Canada, Europe (European Medicines Agency & European Directorate for the Quality of

Medicines), Ghana, Japan, Singapore and USA. See Technical Brief.

● WHO’s pharmacovigilance team is hosting a global webinar on the WHO COVID-19 vaccines safety

surveillance manual on 15 December 2020, 13:30-15:30 CET. Please contact [email protected] for further

information.

Information and Planning

● WHO WPRO has continued monitoring COVID-19 case incidence and transmission levels with countries

and areas across the region. Updated information is available in the WPRO dashboard.

Operations support and logistics

● WHO WPRO continues to provide shipments of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Pacific Island

countries and the Philippines.

● There is ongoing work to increase national capacity for the production of oxygen for Papua New Guinea.

https://www.mfds.go.kr/eng/brd/m_64/view.do?seq=38&srchFr=&srchTo=&srchWord=&srchTp=&itm_seq_1=0&itm_seq_2=0&multi_itm_seq=0&company_cd=&company_nm=&page=1https://www.mfds.go.kr/eng/brd/m_64/view.do?seq=38&srchFr=&srchTo=&srchWord=&srchTp=&itm_seq_1=0&itm_seq_2=0&multi_itm_seq=0&company_cd=&company_nm=&page=1https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/1st-technical-brief-regulation-of-covid-19-vaccineshttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/940975/Conditions_of_Authorisation_for_Pfizer_BioNTech_vaccine.pdfhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/940975/Conditions_of_Authorisation_for_Pfizer_BioNTech_vaccine.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/1st-technical-brief-regulation-of-covid-19-vaccinesmailto:[email protected]://who.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/345dfdc82b5c4f6a815f1d54a05d18ec

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Partner Coordination

● A virtual meeting of the WHO WPR partners of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN)

was held on 4 December 2020, marking GOARNs 20th anniversary. Partners discussed ways they have

supported the COVID-19 response, including adapting deployments in an environment where travel was

restricted, as well as supporting the global community through capacity building and other activities.

GOARN reviewed how lessons learned during this time can be used for future emergencies. GOARN is a

vital part of WHO’s global and regional capacity to respond to public health threats.

Strategic communication

● On 8 December, WHO WPRO commenced the Member States meeting on Communication for Health

(C4H): Building on experiences in the context of COVID-19 to strengthen use of strategic communications

in the Western Pacific Region attended by government officials, health professionals, communication and

community engagement specialists, and other technical experts.

● WHO WPRO provided a package of communication and community engagement materials to WHO

Country Offices across the region to support planning and activities around COVID-19 vaccines.

● In Lao PDR, heroes of the COVID-19 response have worked tirelessly to find those at risk of infection and

provide them with the necessary support. Dr Bounthanom Sengkeopraseuth, Chief Epidemiologist at the

National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health, talks in this video about her

role in responding to the COVID-19 epidemic in Lao PDR and honours those on the frontline.

● In the Pacific Island Countries, Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines and Vietnam, floods and typhoons

have forced thousands from their homes in recent weeks. For those now staying in evacuation shelters,

additional measures are needed to keep people safe from COVID-19. Read more.

● The Republic of Korea shares lessons from their test, trace and treat strategy against COVID-19, and how

they built trust to successfully manage the virus.

● How did years of capacity building guided by the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public

Health Emergencies (APSED) prepare countries in the WPR for COVID-19? Read more.

Annex A - Meeting of International Health Regulation (IHR) National Focal Points (NFP) - Review of response to COVID-19 in 2020.

Background

Throughout 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted many aspects of people’s lives across

the world, including work, shopping, socializing and more. To date, the Asia Pacific Region has experienced a

comparatively low burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths. However, given the ever-evolving nature of this

pandemic, countries need to constantly adapt by reviewing and updating their response strategies.

In this meeting, the IHR NFP reviewed different countries’ approaches to continuously assess and update

their response and common lessons identified during 2020. Two external experts were also invited (Prof

Hiroshi Nishiura, Kyoto University and Prof Peng Wu, Hong Kong University) to present their findings on the

lessons identified during the outbreak response in 2020.

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Session 1: Western Pacific Region’s update and framework

Opening remarks (Dr Takeshi Kasai, Regional Director)

The Regional Director opened the meeting by acknowledging the efforts thus far of member states to contain

the outbreak through the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and the strengthening of

surveillance, testing and healthcare capacity. However, as the pandemic is expected to continue for the

foreseeable future, it is crucial for member states to continuously update their response strategies based on

both short-term and long-term needs. It is also important to focus on containing and suppressing instead of

simply mitigating when executing response measures.

Regional situation update (Dr Sean Tobin, WPRO IMST)

Dr Tobin presented an update on the COVID-19 situation in the Region. The global number of confirmed

cases is approximately 61 million, with over 1.4 million deaths. The Western Pacific Region has maintained

the lowest case burden out of all Regions. As of 26 November, the Region has reported 856 787 confirmed

cases and 17 034 deaths, with the most overall cases and deaths in the Philippines and the largest increase

in daily new cases in Japan as of 27 November.

WHO has developed and updated operational planning guidelines for use by national authorities, as well as

United Nations Country Teams (UNCT) and key partners working to support the Member States. WPRO has

provided technical guidance to support responses in terms of practicing multisource surveillance with

Member States and refining the COVID-19 Transmission Assessments to include sub-national level analysis.

WPRO also maintains a data dashboard with vital epidemiological information and risk assessment.

Session 2: Experience from country review of response plans

Review of the national response strategy (Dr Bae Kyung Taek, Director General for Planning and

Coordination, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency)

Dr Bae presented Korea’s national response strategy for emerging diseases. Since the Middle East Respiratory

Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015, Korea has continued to update its public health emergency

preparedness and response, including the introduction of smart quarantine, 24-hour emergency operations

center (EOC), field response teams and risk communication. It also expanded existing capacity (e.g. negative

pressure rooms, Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) and Infection Control and Prevention (ICP) staff,

inpatient rooms). Additionally, Korea has updated its legal framework (e.g. establish specialized hospitals,

address loss of compensation for healthcare facilities, mobilization of medical personnel) and reclassified its

national notifiable infectious diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it amended the Infectious Disease

Control and Prevention Act (three times), the Quarantine Act and the Medical Service Act to strengthen its

response against COVID-19. It also reorganized Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) into

an Agency.

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Consideration in the strategy of containment and suppression (Dr Shi Guoqing, Chinese Center for

Disease Control and Prevention, China)

China has kept updating its national response strategy, emphasizing prevention of importation and

community transmission with early detection, mass tests and containment, as well as the use of technology

such as viral sequencing in order to identify the source of outbreaks. These scaled-up capacities have enabled

China to respond effectively to importation and outbreak events such as in Beijing, Qingdao and Dalian. These

strategies have also helped implementation of targeted NPIs in areas of concern without the need for

extensive lock down measures. China has revised its Protocol for Prevention and Control of COVID-19 in China

(currently it is in version 7), which emphasizes active case finding/management and restrictions on

population movement, and also includes social distancing, individual hygiene and environmental hygiene.

Preparing health systems beyond COVID-19 in Pacific (Dr Aalisha Sahukhan, Department of

Health, Fiji)

Fiji has no local transmission but continues to update its preparedness such as border control measures,

contact tracing, health systems and legal framework. Fiji took this COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to

improve and strengthen its health system capacity (e.g. lab, hospital and community isolation facilities and

ICU capacity) and integrate its military forces in the implementation of mandatory testing and quarantine

measures.

Japan’s actions to review and update the response to COVID-19 (Dr Teiji Takei, Assistant Minister

for Global Health and Welfare, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), Japan)

Japan has continuously updated its response approach based on discussions in expert meetings, coordinated

by the COVID-19 countermeasure headquarters (chaired by the Prime Minister). As the epidemiology

changed, Japan has introduced different strategies, including 1) switching to a “new lifestyle” (behaviour

change), 2) enhancing capacity of counter-cluster measures, 3) increasing surge capacity of the medical

system and 4) accelerating research and development. An independent expert group and a group of Diet

members have also made recommendations to supplement the national policy. Amendments to the

Immunization Law to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccination and any subsequent side effects, and to the

Quarantine Law to extend a one-off measure introduced in February to isolate those who test positive, have

been proposed and aim to be enacted during the current Diet session (ends on 5 December).

Lao PDR COVID-19 intra-action review (Dr Ratsamy Vongkhamsao, Deputy Director General,

Department of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Lao PDR)

On 21-22 October, Lao PDR conducted an intra-action review of January to June, with the objective of

identifying the country’s best practices, biggest challenges and additional activities to implement, in order to

prepare for the next wave of cases. The key findings from the review were as follows: response activities

were enabled by factors such as strong leadership, rapid decision-making and development of

plans/protocols, quick access to funding and clear communication. Best practices included establishment of

a National Ad-Hoc Committee, increased lab capacity in key locations across the country, establishment of

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multisource surveillance and daily press briefings. Challenges included legal considerations for enforcement

of control measures, need for a mental health plan for case management and community engagement,

language barriers with foreigners and ethnic minorities and less access to COVID-19 information in rural and

remote areas. The country’s major next steps are to implement recommendations from the review and to

address cross-cutting issues such as strengthening multi-sectoral engagement and developing a vaccine

distribution plan. Some specific key steps are to develop a single electronic system for data management of

people entering the country, to strengthen EOC management and to strengthen multi-source surveillance

and testing at the provincial level.

New Zealand’s response to COVID-19 – learning as we go (Dr Caroline McElnay, Director of Public

Health, New Zealand)

New Zealand has been well prepared for pandemics through a functional, all hazards and whole of

government approach. New Zealand has conducted two dozen reviews and rapid audits. Strong

communication campaigns with consistent messaging across the Ministry of Health, out to the wider health

sector, and to other sectors (e.g. education, transport, border agencies etc.) have been implemented to

secure public support for response policies.

As the situation evolves, New Zealand keeps reviewing, learning and improving response plans. Focus is given

to addressing short-term needs as well as looking at long-term plans such as protection of vulnerable

populations (e.g. Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF), minority groups and people with disabilities) as well as

more use of information and technology (e.g. triage, telehealth and mobile phone contact tracing)

Session 3: Major lessons from COVID-19 response

Case for multi-source surveillance (Dr Bilegt Altangerel, National Center for Communicable

Diseases, Mongolia)

In Mongolia, EOCs collect information from different sources (e.g. fever clinics, high-risk settings) for early

detection of COVID-19 importation and transmission as well as weekly stage assessment. The importance of

sub-national capacity (contact tracing, information management, health facility preparedness), stepwise

local NPI in high-risk settings and locations, and behavioural changes such as social distancing are also

emphasized.

Barangay Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE): COVID-19 response modelling (Dr

Myrna C Cabotaje, Undersecretary of Health, Public Health Services Team, Department of Health,

Philippines)

The Philippines introduced the Barangay CODE program, which operationalizes a national government-

enabled, local government-led, people-centred response to the pandemic. It provides stronger support to

the local governments that need it most. It comprises an Inter-Agency Task Force or National Task Force

CODE team, which visits local governments and monitors the status of cities or municipalities; and a Barangay

(village, district, or ward) CODE team, which works on the ground to identify and contain clusters, and

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implement recommended actions related to the five pillars of Prevent, Detect, Isolate/Quarantine, Test and

Treat.

After a peak in cases in July-August, since implementing CODE in the first week of August there has been a

continuous decline in cases in the National Capital Region, and nearly all cities and municipalities have gone

from a high risk to a low risk of transmission.

The goal is to implement CODE in at least 50% of the National Capital Region barangays by the end of the

year, so that the economy can be opened up and more health services can be available while awaiting

distribution of a vaccine.

Effectiveness of contact tracing and behavioural changes (Prof Hiroshi Nishiura, Kyoto University,

Japan / Prof Peng Wu, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China)

Prof Nishiura introduced Japan’s experience of successfully containing the surge of cases in Japan. He

highlighted 1) the importance of retrospective contact tracing (to identify the source of infection), 2) early

interventions in high-risk groups to help avoid contact reduction for the entire population and 3) leadership

of local governors communicating the epidemiological situation and requesting their people to change

behaviours (e.g. physical distancing, voluntary “stay at home”, teleworking). This combination of actions

enabled Japan to contain the surge of cases without significant measures such as a national lockdown.

Prof Wu confirmed the findings in Japan with the data from Hong Kong, SAR, China. Her research found that

the role of contact tracing and behavioural changes have been highly effective in containing COVID-19 surges

in Hong Kong. She also highlighted that strict border control measures are an important factor in reducing

the number of importations and transmissions in Hong Kong.

Summary of the discussion (Dr Hiromasa Okayasu, WHO WPRO)

WPRO countries and areas have continued to review and update their strategies. They identified both short-

term needs for responding to COVID-19 and long-term health system needs that will also benefit the health

system beyond COVID-19. Examples of these long-term actions include 1) strengthening outbreak response

capacity (e.g. reorganizing the Korean CDC into an Agency), 2) Infection prevention and control (China), 3)

changes to the legal system (Japan), 4) improvement in electronic data management and EOC capacity (Lao

PDR) and 5) protection of vulnerable populations (New Zealand).

In 2020, WPRO countries and areas identified some key lessons, including 1) Multi-source surveillance to

assess the risk of transmission (as presented by Mongolia), 2) Community-based approach such as

Philippines’ introduction of a community-based response package (CODE) and sub-national capacity building

in Mongolia, 3) Behavioural changes, contact tracing and targeted response as presented by experts from

Japan and Hong Kong as well as New Zealand (Contact tracing should include retrospective contact tracing

(e.g. identification of source of infection) in addition to prospective contact tracing (e.g. identifying and

isolating close contact transmission)) and 4) Use of new technology, as China, Japan and New Zealand

indicated the use of mobile apps for the identification of potential contacts and enables targeted actions,

and China and New Zealand highlighted the utility of genome sequencing to tracking the source of each

outbreak.

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Closing Remarks

Dr Corinne Capuano (Director, Pacific Technical Support/WHO Representative in the South

Pacific)

Countries and areas in the Western Pacific Region have been able to mount quick and effective responses to

COVID-19 cases thanks to the investment made in building national core capacities through the

implementation of Asia Pacific Strategy for Emergency Diseases (APSED) over the past 15 years. These

capacities have been developed and shaped over many years by repeatedly reflecting on the lessons from

public health emergencies, by practicing and exercising, and by assessing our levels of readiness year after

year. However, the risk is present countries and areas should be vigilant to guard against possible importation

of cases. The response to the pandemic has shown the power of collaboration and innovation and the

resources available for this emergency can strengthen our health systems to better manage the current and

future health challenges. As countries and areas are preparing for the introduction of vaccines, we will need

national systems to be ready and for communities to be fully engaged to ensure equity and transparency.

Dr Babatunde Olowokure (Regional Emergency Director, WHO WPRO Health Emergencies

Programme / Director, Division of Health Security and Emergencies)

In closing, Dr Olowokure commended Member States for their long-term efforts to improve preparedness

through learning and responding to emerging diseases using APSED as a framework. He also called for

continuous review and improvement of response plans by Member States given the fact that the virus will

likely circulate for the foreseeable future and the COVID-19 vaccine should not be seen as a “silver bullet”.

Finally, Dr Olowokure emphasized that WHO is fully committed to work with Member States to contain the

transmission of COVID-19 in 2021.

Next Steps

As COVID-19 will remain with us for the foreseeable future, countries and areas are recommended to:

● Continue response strategies for possible large-scale outbreaks (“Keep reviewing, learning and

improving”) and identify the needs for health system strengthening (“new normal to new future”)

● Consider adopting/improving some best practices, such as 1) data driven response policies using

multi-source surveillance, 2) contact tracing (inc. “retroactive” search for source of infections), 3)

encourage behaviour changes (e.g. masks and physical distancing) and 4) use technology such as

contact tracing apps and genetic sequencing

● Work on national and sub-national risk assessment and share it with the WPRO platform (to inform

COVID-19 decision making such as NPI, travel restrictions, outbreak response, healthcare resource

allocation)

WHO will continue to fully mobilize its capacity at all levels and work with its Member States and partners to

continue suppressing the transmission of COVID-19 in 2021.

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Annex B - Meeting Agenda Time and Date: 11:00 to 13:30, 30 November 2020 (Manila)

Facilitator: Dr Hiromasa Okayasu, Data, Strategy and Innovation Group/WPRO

Time Activities Responsibility

Session 1: Western Pacific Region’s update and framework (Facilitated by: Dr Hiromasa Okayasu)

11.00 – 11.05 Opening remarks Dr Takeshi Kasai

Regional Director

11.05 – 11.20

● Update on Global and Western

Pacific Regional situation of

COVID-19 pandemic

● WHO’s technical support including

regional guidance and Dashboard

for information sharing and sub-

national risk assessment

Dr Sean Tobin

WHO WPRO Incident

Management Support Team

Session 2: Experience from country review of response plans (Facilitated by: Dr Hiromasa Okayasu)

11.20 – 11.30 Review of the national response strategy Dr Bae Kyung Taek

Director General for Planning and

Coordination

Korea Disease Control and

Prevention Agency

11.30 – 11.40

Consideration in the strategy of

containment and suppression

Dr Shi Guoqing

Chinese Center for Disease

Control and Prevention

11.40 – 11.50 Preparing health systems beyond COVID-

19 in Pacific

Dr Aalisha Sahukhan, Department

of Health, Fiji

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11.50 – 12.00 Japan’s actions to review and update the

response to COVID-19

Dr Teiji Takei, Assistant Minister

for Global Health and Welfare,

MHLW Japan

12.00 – 12.10 Experiences from country review of Lao

PDR

Dr Ratsamy Vongkhamsao,

Deputy Director General,

Department of Communicable

Disease Control Department,

MOH, Lao PDR

12.10 – 12.20 New Zealand’s response to COVID-19 –

learning as we go

Dr Caroline McElnay, Director of

Public Health

New Zealand

12.20 – 12.30 Questions and Answers All participants

Session 3: Major lessons from COVID-19 response (Facilitated by: Dr Hiromasa Okayasu)

12.30 – 12.40 Case for multi-source surveillance Dr Bilegt Altangerel, NCCD,

Mongolia

12.40 – 12.50 Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic

(CODE) in the National Capital Region,

Philippines

Dr Myrna C Cabotaje, MD, MPH,

CESO III

Undersecretary of Health, Public

Health Services Team

Department of Health, Philippines

12.50 – 13.00 Effectiveness of contact tracing and

behavioural changes

Prof Hiroshi Nishiura, Kyoto

University, Japan

13.00 – 13.10 Prof Peng Wu, University of Hong

Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

13.10 – 13.20 Summary of the discussion Dr Hiromasa Okayasu, WPRO

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13.20 – 13.30 Closing remarks Dr Corinne Capuano,

Director, Division of Pacific

Technical Support

Dr Babatunde Olowokure,

Regional Emergency Director

Opening remarks (Dr Takeshi Kasai, Regional Director)Regional situation update (Dr Sean Tobin, WPRO IMST)Review of the national response strategy (Dr Bae Kyung Taek, Director General for Planning and Coordination, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency)Consideration in the strategy of containment and suppression (Dr Shi Guoqing, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China)Preparing health systems beyond COVID-19 in Pacific (Dr Aalisha Sahukhan, Department of Health, Fiji)Japan’s actions to review and update the response to COVID-19 (Dr Teiji Takei, Assistant Minister for Global Health and Welfare, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), Japan)Lao PDR COVID-19 intra-action review (Dr Ratsamy Vongkhamsao, Deputy Director General, Department of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Lao PDR)New Zealand’s response to COVID-19 – learning as we go (Dr Caroline McElnay, Director of Public Health, New Zealand)Session 3: Major lessons from COVID-19 responseCase for multi-source surveillance (Dr Bilegt Altangerel, National Center for Communicable Diseases, Mongolia)Barangay Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE): COVID-19 response modelling (Dr Myrna C Cabotaje, Undersecretary of Health, Public Health Services Team, Department of Health, Philippines)Effectiveness of contact tracing and behavioural changes (Prof Hiroshi Nishiura, Kyoto University, Japan / Prof Peng Wu, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China)Summary of the discussion (Dr Hiromasa Okayasu, WHO WPRO)

Closing RemarksDr Corinne Capuano (Director, Pacific Technical Support/WHO Representative in the South Pacific)

Next Steps

Documents

External Situation Report #32 · 2021. 1. 8. · 3 of 16 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) External Situation Report #32 9 December 2020 Period of Report: 2 December 2020 to 8 December