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.

Natural Disasters

Casualties, displacement and damage have been reported after Tropical Storm KOGUMA’s passage on 12-13 June over northern Vietnam.  Severe weather has impacted various countries resulting in displacement and damage.  Heavy rain and strong winds in Guatemala, and floods and landslides in Panama (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:  Quarantine-free travel is now available between New Zealand and Australia, and between New Zealand and the Cook Islands (GOVT.NZ). Ireland to double quarantine period for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated arrivals from Britain to 10 days (Guardian). As the rate of coronavirus infections in Germany continues to fall, mandatory mask-wearing rules are set to be relaxed around the country (Guardian). Taiwan is currently on level 3 restrictions. The order has been in place since 19 May and was extended to the end of this month (Guardian). Major cities in India have begun lifting strict lockdowns, and health experts raise alarm as only 5% of eligible adults have been vaccinated (Guardian). Israel has told its citizens they could stop wearing masks indoors, ending one of its last main restrictions as new Covid-19 infections continued to wane even as vaccinations tapered off after a record rollout (Guardian). Travellers vaccinated with Russian, Chinese and Indian vaccines may be unable to enter majority of EU countries, unless EMA or WHO approves the vaccines (Schengenvisainfo)

Globally, as of 15 June, Johns Hopkins University counts 176,329,887 COVID-19 cases and 3,813,679 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports  175,847,347 cases and 3,807,276 deaths.

As notable cases:  The Covid Delta variant currently represents 2-4% of confirmed cases in France (Guardian). Russia reported more than 14,700 infections on Sunday, the largest one-day tally since February. Over the weekend, St Petersburg, which is hosting matches in Euro 2020, and Moscow said they were imposing new curbs (Guardian). Uganda has all but run out of Covid-19 vaccines and oxygen as the country grapples with another wave of the pandemic (Guardian). Across the United States, COVID-19 cases rose slightly this past week, while deaths and hospitalizations continued to drop (CIDRAP). “The steep increase in Africa is especially concerning,” WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros, told a media briefing, “because it is the region with the least access to vaccines, diagnostics and oxygen.” (WHO).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue.  As of 14 June, Our World in Data reports 2.42 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 14 June over 2.18 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases: Pakistan has lifted a rule barring the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine for people below 40 years old, in a bid to help inoculate people who need to travel for education or jobs abroad, particularly Saudi Arabia, a health official has said (Guardian). Japan will send a million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Vietnam (Guardian). Mexico shipped (Bloomberg) four hundred thousand doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Belize, Bolivia, and Paraguay, and it will soon donate batches to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The vaccines were produced locally in a partnership with Argentina (Bloomberg). A Scottish study has shown the Delta COVID-19 variant doubles the risk of hospitalization compared with the variant previously dominant in the UK – but two doses of the vaccine still provide strong protection (Reuters).

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.