Outbreak Update: Since the last brief (16 November 2021), 3,293,022 new confirmed1 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, including 46,561 new deaths, have been reported globally. To date, a global total of 256,912,979 COVID-19 cases and 5,152,014 related deaths (case fatality ratio (CFR): 2%) have been reported by 226 countries and territories to the World Health Organization (WHO). The distribution of cumulative cases (proportion of global cases) from the WHO reporting regions (excluding Africa) are as follows: Eastern Mediterranean Region 14,208,525 (6%), European Region 83,710,099 (33%), Region of the Americas 95,987,918 (37%), South-East Asia Region 44,425,519 (17%) and Western Pacific Region 9,972,404 (4%). In the last seven days, the five countries reporting the highest number of new cases globally are the United States (615,773), Germany (340,509), the United Kingdom (248,393), the Russian Federation (257,745) and Turkey (163,388). For more detailed information on cases and deaths reported outside of Africa, refer to the WHO COVID-19 dashboard.