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.

More health and security information 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, and the CDC, ECDC, and WHO sites. Not all advise in this sites will apply the same to US travelers.

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

• Nicaragua. Ortega, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term, arrests another opposition rival (Reuters).
• Afghanistan. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was in Tajikistan on Wednesday for talks, said the security situation had rapidly deteriorated in Afghanistan amid a U.S. troop withdrawal. That withdrawal has prompted Moscow to prepare for a potentially major security challenge on the edge of its Muslim-majority Central Asian backyard (Reuters).
• Ghana. Lawmakers in Ghana have proposed a bill that would punish displays of same-sex affection and advocacy for LGBTQ rights with up to a decade in prison. On the list of potential offenses: organizing efforts to support sexual minorities, donating to such causes and posting encouraging messages on social media (WaPo on MSN).
• Mexico. The most authoritative count of homicides in Mexico was published Tuesday and it shows killings remain essentially unchanged at 36,579 in 2020 (AP).
• Mexico. Vigilantes raid a southern Mexico town, abduct 21 people, and burn homes (AP).

Natural Disasters

• Bangladesh. On 27 July, heavy monsoon rains in Cox’s Bazar led to slope failures and severe flooding in the Rohingya refugee camps. Volunteers are supporting the evacuation of those affected to safer shelters. Initial reports of thousands affected and 6 casualties have yet to be confirmed (ERCC).
• Yemen. Floods have killed at least 14 people over the last few days after unseasonal rainstorms hit the majority of southern governorates. The rains are expected to continue in the coming two days (ERCC).
• India. After severe flooding and landslides in Maharashtra State (western India) last week, the death toll has increased to 209, and more than 382,650 people affected across ten districts. according to the National Emergency Response Centre (ERCC).
• Vietnam. Since 23 July, heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds in several provinces of Vietnam have caused floods, triggered landslides.  1,400 people have been evacuated, more than 2,200 affected and 137 houses damaged (ERCC).
• Myanmar. Widespread floods in southern Myanmar (particularly the States of Kayin and Mon and Tanintharyi Region) since 22 July, has led to casualties, displacement, and damage (ERCC).
• Italy. Heavy rainfall, strong winds, and thunderstorms continue to affect northern Italy (particularly Lombardy Region) over the last 24 hours, causing landslides, mudflows, rivers overflow and floods that have resulted in evacuations and damage (ERCC).

Health

• United States. The CDC has identified two independent outbreaks of pan-resistant strains of the deadly yeast Candida auris. The ability of the fungus to spread easily in healthcare settings is another trait that concerns public health officials and infectious disease experts.   (CIDRAP).
• Ethiopia. The executive director of the World Food Program said food aid to the conflict-afflicted Tigray region will run out this week and that aid convoys are struggling to move through the neighboring Afar region (AP).

COVID-19

International preventative measures against COVID-19, including entry restrictions and in-country mobility remain fluid, and can be imposed without prior notice. 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:

• Norway postponed for a second time on Wednesday a planned final step in the reopening of its economy from pandemic lockdown, due to the continued spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 (Reuters).
• Australia. Sydney adds four weeks to lockdown as Australia COVID-19 cases grow (Reuters).
• Kuwait on Tuesday said only citizens who have been vaccinated for the coronavirus will be allowed to travel abroad starting on Aug. 1. (Reuters).
• United Kingdom. According to the BBC, the UK government has decided that they will allow fully vaccinated people from the US and the EU to enter England without having to quarantine (Guardian).
• United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today strengthened mask recommendations once again, suggesting even vaccinated people in areas seeing high virus activity should resume wearing masks indoors (CIDRAP).

Global cases and deaths. As of 28 July, Johns Hopkins University counts 195,498,370 COVID-19 cases and 4,180,770 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 194,608,040 cases and 4,170,155 deaths.

As notable cases:

• South Korea on Wednesday reported 1,896 new COVID-19 cases for Tuesday, its highest-ever daily increase, as the country struggles to subdue a fourth wave of outbreaks fanned by the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus (Reuters).
• Japan. Tokyo registered a record 3,177 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, authorities announced, as rising infections put pressure on hospitals (Reuters).
• Thailand builds an 1,800-bed field hospital for COVID-19 patients with less severe symptoms in Bangkok airport, amid surge in cases (Reuters).
• Iran‘s daily new COVID-19 cases hit two consecutive record highs, rising to almost 35,000, as the health minister warned there was little hope of improvement unless the public followed health precautions (Reuters).
• World. Countries with high levels of overweight people, such as the UK and the US, have the highest death rates from Covid-19, a landmark report from the World Obesity Federation reveals, prompting calls for governments to urgently tackle obesity, as well as prioritising overweight people for vaccinations (Guardian).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 27 July, Our World in Data reports 27.6% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 14.1% is fully vaccinated. 3.97 billion doses have been administered globally, and 34.32 million are now administered each day. Only 1.1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 3.69 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases:

• Zimbabwe has authorised the emergency use of Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ.N) COVID-19 vaccine, the first Western-made shot to be approved by the southern African nation (Reuters).
• Tanzania. The president of Tanzania, one of the world’s last countries to embrace Covid-19 vaccines, has publicly received a dose and urged others to do the same (Guardian).
• Italy’s medicine regulator has approved the use of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for children 12-17 years old, following the approval of Pfizer for adolescents (Guardian).

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.