Risk assessment of global COVID-19 pandemic in December 2023

Objective  To assess the global epidemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December 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 increased by 88.61% and 21.51% globally in December 2023. Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic, and United Kingdom are the countries of global concern. Close attention should be paid to Canada in North America, Mauritius and Angola in Africa, Chile and Peru in South America. Special concern should be paid to Russia and Afghanistan among the 14 land-boarding countries.

Conclusion  The global daily new confirmed cases and deaths showed a upward trend in December, 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.