World Status Report
May 27, 2021
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
On 24 May, intensified clashes in Afghanistan, including the use of small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades, have resulted in casualties and displacement of over a thousand families (ERCC). Hundreds of Palestinians have died, and over 100,000 have fled their homes across Gaza due to the violence in May 2021, leaving 2.5 million Palestinians in need of humanitarian assistance (ERCC).
Health
Cases of “black fungus” in India have risen to 10,000, the junior minister responsible for chemicals and fertilizers on Tuesday (CNN).
Natural Disasters
Severe weather has impacted various countries resulting in casualties, displacement and damage. Floods in Brazil and Burundi. The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in Democratic Republic of Congo. The Tropical Cyclone YAAS in India and Bangladesh (ERCC).
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 organizers of the Tokyo Olympics said last week that they had entered what they called “operational delivery mode” for the Summer Games, another clear signal that they will plow ahead toward the opening ceremony, scheduled for July 23, regardless of the state of the pandemic in Japan (NYT). France will establish a mandatory quarantine for travelers coming from the UK due to the predominance of the B.1.617.2 variant cases (CNN). South Korea will lift some of its Covid-19 preventative measures for vaccinated people, including mandatory wearing of face masks outdoors (CNN). Viet Nam has increased lockdown measures as it tackles a record rise in cases (Reuters).
Globally, as of 26 May, Johns Hopkins University counts 167,898,407 COVID-19 cases and 3,487,458 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 167,423,479 cases and 3,480,480 deaths.
As notable cases: The official Covid-19 figures in India grossly understate the true scale of the pandemic in the country. Last week, India recorded the largest daily death toll for any country during the pandemic — a figure that is most likely still an undercount (NYT). Globally, over the past week, the number of new cases and deaths reported decreased a 14% and a 2% respectively. The highest numbers of new cases in the last seven days were reported from India, Brazil, Argentina, the United States, and Colombia (WHO). New COVID-19 cases, patients and deaths have continued to decline in France, as a slow opening following the country’s third national lockdown continues (Reuters). Brazil has reported now more than 450,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, according to the latest data from the Health Ministry (Reuters). The state of Victoria, Australia has reported its biggest one-day rise of cases in seven months, with six new cases recorded on Wednesday (Reuters).
Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 25 May, Our World in Data reports 1.74 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 24 May over 1.49 billion administered vaccine doses.
As notable cases: Lawyers representing the European Union said on Wednesday that they would seek potentially billions of euros in penalties from AstraZeneca if the pharmaceutical company failed to deliver tens of millions of doses of its Covid-19 vaccine that it is contractually required to supply (NYT). The world’s biggest vaccine maker is stalling on exports. That’s a problem for the planet’s most vulnerable (CNN).
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.
