World Status Report

This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international risks, and other issues as reported by the linked official sources from the U.S. and other countries.

Please note the publication date of this report, and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.

Security

The Envoys of the Middle East Quartet, have expressed deep concern over confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem, particularly those which began on Friday evening, and continued on Saturday night (UN News).  At least fifty-two people, many of them teenage girls, were killed (TOLOnews) and scores more were injured by a series of blasts outside a girls’ school in Kabul, Afghanistan on Saturday. No group has claimed responsibility (NYT).

Natural Disasters

Severe weather is impacting several countries resulting in casualties, displacement, and damage. In Somalia and Uganda, heavy rain is causing river overflow and floods. In Indonesia, heavy rain is causing floods and landslides.  In the Philippines heavy rain and strong winds has caused power and water interruptions (ERCC).

Health

42 cases of polioviruses (cVDPV1 and cVDPV2) have been reported in Madagascar (3), Yemen (3), Afghanistan (10), Sierra Leone (6), Guinea (5), Mali (3), Burkina Faso (2), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2), Nigeria (2), Congo (1), Côte D’Ivoire (1), Liberia (1), Senegal (1), South Sudan (1) and Tajikistan (1) (ECDC). Doctors in India are concerned about an increasing number of potentially fatal fungal infections affecting either people who have Covid-19 or those who have recently recovered from the disease (NYT). The CDC updated their travel notice for Burundi this week in light of the ongoing malaria epidemic in the country (Oubreak News Today).

COVID-19

International preventative measures against COVID-19, including entry restrictions and in-country mobility remain very fluid, and can be imposed without prior notice. Details for each country can be found in the travel advisories issued by the governments of the United States, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia.  The UNWTO and IATA Destination Tracker offers relevant information on a destination status. The Timeline of EU Member States Reopening Their Borders  offers a list of opened EU countries for travelers, and dates of warned opening.

As notable cases: UK to announce the lifting of more coronavirus restrictions Monday (WaPo). In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration imposed  this year a zero-tolerance policy for interfering with or assaulting flight attendants that carries a fine of up to $35,000 and possible jail time (NYT). Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that it would hold the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that in normal times draws millions of Muslims to the kingdom, but rules are yet to be shared (NYT).  The European Union intends to make it possible for vaccinated travellers from third countries to enter the EU through the COVID-19 EU travel certificate, which is set to be launched by the end of June (Schengenvisainfo). Enhanced COVID-19 restrictions remain in place in New South Wales, Australia as authorities hunt for the source of a small outbreak (Reuters). Bangladesh has detected its first case of a COVID-19 variant first identified in India, prompting the government to keep its border closed for at least another two weeks (Reuters).

Globally, as of 10 May, Johns Hopkins University counts 158,400,711 COVID-19 cases and 3,294,657 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 157,897,763 cases and 3,287,082 deaths. 

As notable cases: Nepal has asked Everest climbers to return their empty oxygen tanks instead of discarding them on the mountain trail to help the country’s overburdened health-care system (WaPo). China will add control measures on Mount Everest, including the installation of a dividing line on the summit to prevent climbers from the Chinese side and the Nepal side from coming into contact (NYT). With more than 350,000 new infections daily this month and nearly 250,000 total deaths, some experts say that the numbers are a vast undercount and estimate that India is on pace to suffer more than one million deaths by August (NYT). Laos has reported its first death from COVID-19. It was one of few countries left yet to report a death (Reuters).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue.  As of 10 May, Our World in Data reports 1.30 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 08 May over 1.12 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases: The European Union is effectively turning away from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine due to failed delivery targets and concerns over the vaccine’s efficacy against some variants of the coronavirus (WaPo). The World Health Organization approved emergency listing for China’s Sinopharm vaccine, a step that clears the way for a sixth vaccine to be added to the COVAX program (CIDRAP). Data from three trials posted yesterday show efficacy of the Novavax and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines and good immune response of the Moderna vaccine against different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (CIDRAP).

Risk Levels

CDC COVID-19 Levels, last update on May 3

# Countries	Risk Level
139	Level 4: COVID-19 Very High (avoid all travel)
25	Level 3: COVID-19 High (avoid all non-essential travel)
35	Level Unknown: COVID-19 Unknown (avoid all non-essential travel)
16	Level 2: COVID-19 Moderate (travelers at increased risk for severe illness, avoid all non-essential travel)
30	Level 1: COVID-19 Low (take steps to mitigate risks before, during, and after travel)

U.S. Department of State Levels, last update on May 7

# Countries	Risk Level
157	Level 4: Do Not Travel
39	Level 3: Reconsider Travel
15	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
0	Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions

Please note the publication date of this report and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.