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

In Ethiopia, Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers forcibly detained more than 500 young men and women from four camps for displaced people (Reuters). UN envoy warns of possible civil war in Myanmar (AP).

Natural Disasters

In Democratic Republic of Congo, the explosive and effusive activity of Mount Nyiragongo continues. A south-moving ash plume of 6,100 m has been recorded on 25 May. Seismic activities have been occurring and have also been recorded in the city of Goma, 15 km away from the volcano. The lava flow has destroyed some of Goma’s water infrastructure, leaving around half a million people without water. There is an increased risk of a cholera outbreak (ERCC). Cyclone Yaas is expected to intensify into a Severe Cyclonic Storm and around 26 May intensify to a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.  India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are in high alert (ERCC).  Severe weather has impacted various countries resulting in casualties, displacement and damage.  Heavy rain and strong winds have caused floods and landslides in Guatemala and Uganda (ERCC). Tens of thousands of people were evacuated Tuesday in low-lying areas of two states in India and moved to cyclone shelters to escape a powerful storm barreling toward the eastern coast (AP).

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: The United States on Monday warned Americans against traveling to Japan as the country experiences an increase in coronavirus cases less than two months before the start of the Tokyo Olympics (NYT). Taiwan has extended its second-highest Covid-19 alert level for three more weeks until June 14, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced today, as the island battles its biggest coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic last year (CNN). Melbourne, Australia has reintroduced some COVID-19 restrictions after a cluster of new cases (Reuters). Fully vaccinated people in Chile will be allowed to move more freely within the country, the government announced yesterday. However, the country’s borders will remain closed until the middle of next month (Reuters).

Globally, as of 25 May, Johns Hopkins University counts 167,405,137 COVID-19 cases and 3,475,710 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 167,252,150 cases and 3,467,663 deaths. 

As notable cases:  Variant B.1.617.2 first identified in India has begun to outpace other versions of the virus in Britain, putting pressure on the government to shorten people’s wait for second doses of vaccines and illustrating the risks of a faltering global immunization drive (NTY). India reported 196,427 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, the lowest single-day rise in cases since April 14 (CNN). Malaysia’s surge is straining the resources of hospitals, where occupancy rates exceeded 70% last week in beds and intensive care units for virus patients (Reuters).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue.  As of 24 May, Our World in Data reports 1.70 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 1.48 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases: Thailand will extend the gap between the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to 16 weeks, in an effort to vaccinate more people more quickly (Reuters). The Director-General of the World Health Organization has used his opening remarks at the World Health Assembly to praise the efforts of health workers around the world and once again called for a more equitable vaccine rollout (WHO).

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.