COVID - 19 Executive Briefing January 2022

COVID-19 has spread to 199 countries with more than 270 million confirmed cases and more than 5.3 million deaths. The number of confirmed cases in the US is over 50 million, with more than 800,000 deaths. Deaths in the US and India are the highest. China has administered the most single doses of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, followed by India and the US. China leads top economies in the percent of population that received one dose and two doses of vaccine. Gibraltar leads in fully vaccinating the largest percentage of its population, but herd immunity threshold needs to be re-evaluated.

Key findings discussed in the report:

 In the 4 weeks leading up to December 20, the UK reported the highest rates of new cases among the top 10 infected countries. While the UK’s fall wave has been driven by the Delta variant, more than 10,000 new Omicron cases were confirmed in the country as of yesterday. Members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergency warn that hospital admissions could reach 3,000 per day without new measures to curb the spread. France reported the second highest rate of new cases among the top 10 infected countries. As in the UK, France’s surge is driven by the Delta variant, although Omicron has now gained a foothold there. In response to the growing Omicron threat, France has imposed strict travel restrictions on UK visitors.

Significant outlook of COVID-19:

• The US reached a grim milestone last week, surpassing 800,000 total deaths from COVID-19

• China has administered the most single doses of COVID19 vaccines worldwide, followed by India and the US. However, the US has lost its position in the top 10 countries globally in the vaccination rate per 1,000 population

• Gibraltar has administered the most single doses of COVID-19 vaccine per 1,000 population worldwide, followed by Cuba and the United Arab Emirates

• Importantly, a significant percentage of adults in the US remain hesitant to receive a COVID19 vaccine, with some surveys indicating that up 30% of US adults would “probably” or “never” receive a COVID-19 vaccine

To understand the situation and impact of COVID-19, download the report.