The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a significant threat to global health security. In the first week of 2023 alone, nearly 3 million cases and o… - Sylvia Masebo

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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a significant threat to global health security. In the first week of 2023 alone, nearly 3 million cases and over 11,000 deaths were reported worldwide. During this period, the African region recorded over 4,500 cases and eight deaths. The current surge in COVID-19 cases is attributed to a sub-variant of the Omicron virus known as XBB. As you may recall, COVID-19 continuously evolves, creating new variants as it spreads globally. Similar to Omicron, XBB is highly transmissible; in Zambia, we have confirmed that this variant is driving the recent rise in cases.