On Dec. 24, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, largely circulates without clear seasonality and continues to infect, causing severe acute disease and post-COVID-19 condition. Changes to COVID-19 surveillance over the past five years have been consistent, but integration is variable across regions. 

From the start of the pandemic until November 10, 2024, over 776.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 7 million confirmed deaths were notified to WHO across 234 countries. The majority of COVID-19 associated deaths occurred in 2020, 2021, and 2022, with increased immunity leading to a significant decrease in deaths. For the latest 4 week reporting period, from October 14 to November 10, 2024, 77 countries reported COVID-19 cases and 27 deaths globally. The number of reported cases decreased by 39%, with over 200 000 new cases and 36% of new deaths, compared to the previous 28 days.