World Status Report
June 22, 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
Haiti in recent months has been marked by several worrying security incidents and serious human rights abuses perpetrated by gangs against civilians, causing the displacement of hundreds of families in Port-au-Prince, and deepening the feeling of insecurity which pervades Haitian society (UN News). The UN Special Envoy for Myanmar described the situation in Myanmar as “very worrisome” and “very bad” (UN News). Fear has invaded the Mexican border city of Reynosa after gunmen in vehicles killed 14 people, including taxis drivers, workers and a nursing student, and security forces responded with operations that left four suspects dead (AP). While many of the thousands of demonstrations that have roiled Colombia over the last two months have been peaceful, security forces have responded to some with force. The government ombudsman reported 548 human rights violations through June 7, and 20 deaths. Now protesters and human rights advocates say they’re seeing the revival of another familiar tactic from Colombia’s long civil conflict: disappearances (WaPo). Police in Nicaragua have detained another potential candidate for the presidency in the latest crackdown on opposition figures. Journalist Miguel Mora was detained under Nicaragua’s controversial “treason” law (BBC). Israeli air strikes targeted sites in Gaza for the second time since Wednesday after Palestinian militants sent incendiary balloons into Israel for the third consecutive day. No casualties were immediately reported (NYT).
Natural Disasters
Severe weather has impacted various countries resulting in casualties, displacement, and damage. Floods and landslides in Indonesia. Floods in New Zealand and Ukraine. Tropical storm landing in the United States (ERCC).
Health
On June 16th, the UN’s top humanitarian official Mark Lowcock told members of the security council that there is famine in the Ethiopian region of Tigray. Some 350,000 people in Tigray are living in famine conditions with millions more at risk (UN Dispatch). Tens of thousands of COVID-19 survivors in India are developing deadly ‘black fungus’ infections that can lead to blindness (Insider)
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: Hong Kong to shorten quarantine for most arrivals to 7 days (Reuters). The United States land borders with Canada and Mexico will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21, the U.S. Homeland Security Department said on Sunday (Reuters)
Globally, as of 21 June, Johns Hopkins University counts 178,618,804 COVID-19 cases and 3,868,430 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 178,202,610 cases and 3,865,738 deaths.
As notable cases: The Delta variant of COVID-19, first identified in India, is becoming the globally dominant variant of the disease, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist has said (Reuters). Brazil hits 500,000 COVID-19 deaths as the Amazon Gamma variant accelerates virus contagion (Insider). Indonesia hits 2 million coronavirus cases, tightens curbs (Reuters). Russia has confirmed 5,334,204 cases of coronavirus and 129,801 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center. Russia’s total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 475,000 (Moscow Times). Ugandan Olympic coach tests positive for Covid after arriving in Japan (CNN). Small COVID-19 outbreaks keep plaguing Australia (Reuters). COVID-19 continues to devastate countries around the region with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reporting 1.1 million new cases of COVID-19 and 31,000 deaths in the Americas last week. PAHO noted upticks in six Mexican states, Belize, Guatemala, Panama and some places in the Caribbean. Colombia‘s COVID-19 situation is at its worst point yet, with intensive care unit beds filled in major cities. Experts see the toll in Brazil, already the highest in Latin America, climbing far higher (Reuters). East Africa is in the throes of a public health crisis as its healthcare systems sag under the weight of a rapid third wave of Covid-19, largely blamed on the deadly Delta strain (EastAfrican). COVID-19 infection rates in Afghanistan have risen by 2,400 percent in the past month, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The surge has overwhelmed the country’s health facilities (CNN).
Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 20 June, Our World in Data reports 2.66 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 2.41 billion administered vaccine doses.
As notable cases: The United States has donated 55 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, 41 million will be shared through COVAX, and the other 14 million doses will be shared with regional priorities and other recipients (NBC)
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.
