Risk assessment of global coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in October 2023

  Objective   To assess the global epidemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in October 2023 and the risk of importation.

  Methods   According to the daily COVID-19 data publicly released by World Health Organization, combined with the travel restrictions published by Sherpa, an epidemiological description method was used to provide a comprehensive and timely assessment of the global epidemic risk through a general overview, a comprehensive assessment of the epidemic trends in each continent and key countries, as well as a comprehensive analysis of the epidemic and travel requirements in 14 neighboring countries.

  Results   Compared with the previous month, the number of confirmed cases and deaths respectively decreased by 6.17% and 30.72% globally in October 2023. Russia, Singapore, Serbia, Czech, and New Zealand are the countries of global concern. Close attention should be paid to Philippines in Asia, and Burundi and Eswatini in Africa. Special concern should be paid to Russia, India, and Afghanistan among the 14 land-boarding countries.

  Conclusion   The global daily new confirmed cases and deaths showed a downward trend in October, and the epidemic situation in most countries was stable. It is necessary to continuously monitor countries with global focus and establish a communication mechanism with relevant agencies to exchange information and provide timely warnings.