World Status Report

This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international risks, and other issues as reported by the linked media and 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 these sites will apply 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

• Yemen. Fierce fighting continues to rage across front lines in Marib, Shabwah Al Bayda and Abyan governorates, resulting in high numbers of casualties, including civilians, massive displacement and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations (ERCC).
• Sudan‘s top general defended the army’s seizure of power, saying he had ousted the government to avoid civil war, while protesters returned to the streets on Tuesday to demonstrate against the takeover after a day of deadly clashes (Reuters).

Natural Disasters

• Algeria. Heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms have been affecting northern Algeria and the neighbouring northern Tunisia since 23 October, causing floods and a number of severe weather-related incidents that have resulted in casualties and damage (ERCC).
• Benin. Heavy rain has affected 38 out of 77 communes in Benin over the past weeks, causing widespread floods and resulting in casualties and damage (ERCC).
• Ecuador. A snow avalanche occurred in Chimborazo volcano (Chimborazo Province, central Ecuador) on 23 October, resulting in casualties (ERCC).
• Mexico. Tropical cyclone RICK made landfall over the northwestern coast of Guerrero State resulting in displacement, damage and power outages (ERCC).
• Italy. Heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms have been affecting southern Italy (in particular Sicily and Calabria Regions) since 24 October, causing floods, landslides and a number of severe weather-related incidents that have resulted in casualties and damage (ERCC). A powerful cyclonic storm hit the southern Italian island of Sicily on Tuesday causing widespread flooding around the city of Catania, turning streets and squares into rivers and lakes and causing at least two deaths, rescuers said (Reuters).

Health

• Afghanistan. In Kabul’s main children’s hospital, the crumbling of Afghanistan’s health system is reflected in the eyes of exhausted staff as they eke out fast-diminishing stocks of medicines (Reuters).
• China. A jump in the number of people in China infected with bird flu this year, 21 cases of H5N6 compared to 6 last year, is raising concern among experts, who say a previously circulating strain appears to have changed and may be more infectious to people (Reuters).
• Haiti. Fuel shortages are threatening the lives of patients (BBC) in major hospitals, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned (BBC).

Migration

• Colombia. Shelters in Colombia are preparing for increasing numbers of impoverished migrants arriving on foot after Venezuela reopened its border with its Andean neighbor, many of them children in need of food, medical attention and the chance to play again, aid workers said (Reuters).

Of note

• Sudan. Since 2019, Sudan has been led by a transitional governing council made up of civilians and the military. On Monday October 25th, 2021 the Sudanese military purged the civilians from their leadership positions, including arresting the prime minister.  A discussion on what comes next (UN Dispatch).
• World. Current commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions put the planet on track for an average 2.7 degrees Celsius temperature rise this century, a United Nations report said on Tuesday, in another stark warning ahead of crunch climate talks (Reuters).

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. The University Vaccine Requirement Checker notes universities that require a COVID-19 Vaccine.

As notable cases:

• Cuba will open its borders and ease entry requirements next month after vaccinating most of its people with home-grown COVID-19 drugs (Reuters).
• China. The Beijing Marathon has been postponed indefinitely after Sunday’s race was called off amid rising COVID-19 cases in China, the BBC quoted organisers as saying (Reuters).
• Cambodia. Human rights experts have raised concerns over vaccine mandates imposed in Cambodia, where authorities say proof of vaccination will be required to obtain a social security card and to enter many public and private spaces in the capital (Guardian).
• Hong Kong. After weeks of sustained calls for Hong Kong to relax its quarantine and border restrictions, the city’s leader has just announced they’re getting tougher (Guardian).

Global cases and deaths. As of 26 October, Johns Hopkins University counts 244,264,890 COVID-19 cases and 4,959,865 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 26 October 243,572,402 cases and 4,948,434 deaths.

As notable cases:

• China. China is demanding faster and more accessible COVID-19 testing services in its latest effort to reinforce a zero-tolerance policy against the virus, even when cities have already scrambled to test millions in just a few days amid outbreaks (Reuters).
• United Kingdom. Britain reported 263 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test on Tuesday, the highest daily total reported since March 3 following a steady rise in cases in the last month, according to government data (Reuters).
• Czech Republic. Covid infections in the Czech Republic are at their highest levels in more than half a year. The health ministry said the daily case number soared to 4,262 yesterday, a rise of 1,733 on a week ago and the highest daily increase since 13 April (Guardian).
• Ukraine’s health minister has urged more citizens to get vaccinated after coronavirus deaths hit a daily record today. The country recorded an additional 734 deaths today and hospital admissions are up by more than a fifth on last week (Guardian).
• Bulgaria reported record numbers of daily coronavirus deaths and infections as a fourth wave of the disease is stretching the health system in the European Union’s least vaccinated member state (Guardian).
• China reported 35 new domestic cases on Monday, as authorities continue to battle an outbreak of the Delta variant primarily centred around Inner Mongolia but which has spread to at least 11 provinces (Guardian).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 25 October, Our World in Data reports 48.7% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 6.88 billion doses have been administered globally, and 24.06 million are now administered each day. Only 3.1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 25 October over 6.69 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases:

• Honduras, Nicaragua. Nearly 8,000 Nicaraguans received COVID-19 vaccines at two customs border crossings with neighboring Honduras in recent days, Honduran health authorities said on Monday, as supplies of the inoculations in Nicaragua have run low (Reuters).
• India. A World Health Organization technical advisory group was reviewing data on India’s Covaxin shot against COVID-19 on Tuesday with a decision on its emergency use listing likely soon, a spokesperson said (Reuters).
• Africa. An exclusive story from Reuters today reports an arrangement struck between the African Union (AU) and the White House to secure up to 110 million Covid-19 vaccine doses (Guardian).

Other COVID-19 impacts

• United Kingdom. London’s Heathrow Airport does not expect air traffic to recover completely until at least 2026, with the number of passengers travelling through Britain’s biggest airport well below pre-pandemic levels despite a pick-up in the past three months (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.