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

On 29 June, the demonstrators across Eswatini became violent, burning and looting shops, supermarkets, banks, buses and government vehicles. Amidst criminal looting, the protesters targeted and set alight assets belonging to the King (ERCC). Despite “significant progress” in the fight against terrorism, the UN counter-terrorism chief warned on Wednesday that amidst new and more diverse threats, COVID-19 has triggered increased activity throughout many countries (UN News). Myanmar’s military government released more than 2,200 detainees , most of whom had been charged for participating in protests against the junta, an official said. At least four thousand political detainees remain, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a human rights watchdog (Irrawaddy). Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in Sudan’s capital Khartoum to demand the transitional government resign over controversial economic reforms (AlJazeera). The commander of the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan warned on Tuesday that the country could be on a path to chaotic civil war as American and other international troops prepare to leave in the coming weeks (NYT). Police in the southern Kazakh city of Shymkent have detained more than a dozen activists, including three who have been on a hunger strike for weeks to push for the release of political prisoners

Natural Disasters

Widespread floods triggered by heavy rain have been affecting most parts of Assam State (northeastern India) over the last few days, resulting in casualties and damage. Several wildfires have broken out across southern British Columbia, Canada, reaching an estimated area of more than 26,000 ha. On 29-30 June, heavy rain and strong winds affected areas of Germany, resulting in damage (ERCC).

COVID-19

International preventative measures against COVID-19, including entry restrictions and in-country mobility remain 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 EU’s Digital COVID Certificate is now live but what is it and which countries are accepting it? 21 EU nations, out of the total 27, are connected to the system’s network and 6 others are technically ready, implementation will extend until 12 August (Euronews). Many Covid vaccine doses donated to African countries are not recognized by EU travel certificate (CNN). With uneven vaccination rates across the United States and a the Delta variant now spotted in all 50 states, a health expert is warning the federal government’s mask guidance should be more focused (CNN). Indonesia to impose emergency measures as COVID-19 cases spike (Reuters), and announces lockdown in Java and Bali as cases surge (BBC). Seven cities in Australia are now in lockdown as authorities scramble to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant (BBC). Bangladesh’s 168 million people are from today under a strict military-enforced coronavirus lockdown following a surge in cases (Guardian).

Global cases and deaths. As of 01 July, Johns Hopkins University counts 182,312,882 COVID-19 cases and 3,949,126 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 181,722,790 cases and 3,942,233 deaths.

As notable cases: The World Health Organization on Thursday said Covid cases were on the rise again in Europe and called for better monitoring of the movement of spectators attending Euro 2020 football matches (Local). “Last week, the number of cases [in Europe] rose by 10%, driven by increased mixing, travel, gatherings and easing of social restrictions,” Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe told a press conference (DW). Africa’s COVID threat hits ‘new level’ as Delta variant spreads. Warnings are mounting about a fast-growing new wave of COVID-19 infections across the continent amid insufficient vaccines (AlJazeera). The highly contagious Delta variant is on the rise, and countries that hoped they had seen the worst of Covid-19 are being battered again (NYT). Almost 400,000 people in UK have had long Covid at least a year – ONS figures (Guardian). Latin America and the Caribbean continue to show an increase in COVID-19 cases. Last week reported 1.1 million new COVID-19 infections and 30,000 deaths, bringing the total case count to more than 72 million and deaths to nearly 1.9 million. Disruptions to essential health services are still widespread across the region, with 29 countries reporting disruptions to almost half of all services. Just one in ten people in Latin American and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Now may not be the ideal time for travel – especially in places with active outbreaks or where hospital capacity may be limited (PAHO).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 30 June, Our World in Data reports 23.5% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 3.08 billion doses have been administered globally, and 40.67 million are now administered each day. Only 0.9% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 2.91 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases: Some European nations approve India’s Covishield vaccine (AlJazeera).  In Israel, authorities are moving to vaccinate children and are considering tighter travel restrictions at the country’s main airport, though the rise has not led to an uptick in deaths from the virus. Just one has been recorded over the last two weeks (Guardian). Turkey is today making people aged over 50, and healthcare workers, eligible for third doses of a Covid vaccine, its health minister announced yesterday (Guardian). Romania has asked AstraZeneca to extend the shelf life of some 43,000 Covid-19 vaccines that expired on 30 June, as the country has been unable to administer them in time due to the low take-up by the public (Guardian). The World Bank and U.S., French, and German government donor agencies announced $712 million in funding  for the production of 500 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses through 2022 in a new  manufacturing hub in South Africa (Bloomberg).

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.