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

• Somalia. Clashes between local government forces and a paramilitary group in Guri Ceel town, Galmudug State have lasted from 23-26 October. It has resulted in casualties, displacement, and damage to hospitals and homes. The Guri Ceel airstrip remains closed and movement along the road between Galmudug and Hirshabelle is disrupted.  The Guri Ceel market is closed and food cost has increased. Violations of International Humanitarian Law, including denial of medical assistance, have been documented (ERCC).
• Sudan. State oil company workers and doctors in Sudan said on Wednesday they were joining protests against the military coup that has derailed the country’s planned transition to democracy (Reuters). Sudan’s civil aviation authority on Tuesday suspended all flights to and from Khartoum’s international airport until early Saturday (Reuters). Sudanese security forces detained three prominent pro-democracy figures overnight, their relatives and other activists said Wednesday, as internal and international pressure mounted on the country’s military to walk back its coup (ABC News).
• Haiti‘s streets were unusually quiet on Tuesday and gasoline stations remained dry as gangs blocked the entrance to ports that hold fuel stores and the country’s main gang boss demanded that Prime Minister Ariel Henry resign (Reuters).

Natural Disasters

• Vietnam. Heavy rain has hit central Vietnam since 22 October, causing floods and resulting in casualties and damage. The most affected Provinces are Quang Ngai and Quang Nam (ERCC).
• Ecuador. Widespread landslides triggered by heavy rain occurred in Zamora Chinchipe Province (southeastern Ecuador) over the past few days, resulting in casualties (ERCC).
• Colombia. Heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorm have been affecting most of Colombia (in particular central and western Departments) since the beginning of the rainy season (mid-September), triggering landslides, causing floods and a number of severe weather-related incidents that have resulted in casualties and widespread damage (ERCC).
• Italy. Heavy rain continues to affect southern Italy (in particular the Sicily Region) since 24 October, causing floods and a number of severe weather-related incidents that have resulted in more casualties and damage (ERCC).
• Paraguay. The landlocked country is experiencing its most severe drought since the 1940s, which is harming its shipping and agriculture industries, officials said (WSJ).

Health

• Europe. The European Union’s public health agency has warned that the upcoming influenza season in Europe could be severe for the elderly and those with weak immunity. The agency added that it could put a greater burden on health systems already under strain by COVID-19 (Reuters).

Migration

• Central America, Caribbean. Hundreds of migrants from Central America and the Caribbean trekked across Mexico on Wednesday, the latest in a series of caravans that have sought to reach the U.S. border in recent months (Reuters).
• Burkina Faso. More than a million people are fleeing terror and violence in Burkina Faso, and their numbers are growing. Many are left to fend for themselves as they struggle to survive (Deutsche Welle).

Of note

• World. Water scarcity threatens the health and development of communities around the globe. Climate change is intensifying the problem, pushing governments to find more innovative, collaborative ways to address water stress (CFR).

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:

• Australia. All fully-vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will be able to leave the country without a special exemption from Nov. 1. Australians have been unable to travel abroad for more than 18 months without a government waiver, while thousands of fully-vaccinated residents living abroad have been unable to return due to a cap on arrivals (Reuters).

Global cases and deaths. As of 27 October, Johns Hopkins University counts 244,672,417 COVID-19 cases and 4,966,430 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 26 October 243,857,028 cases and 4,953,246 deaths.

As notable cases:

• Poland reported 8,361 daily COVID-19 cases and 133 deaths on Wednesday, with the number of new infections reaching the highest level since late April (Reuters).
• Bulgaria‘s tally of infections has risen by 6,813 in the last 24 hours, a record daily increase as the European Union’s least vaccinated country grapples with a fourth wave of the pandemic (Reuters).
• World. Globally, the numbers of weekly COVID-19 cases and deaths increased slightly during the past week, with over 2.9 million cases and over 49 000 new deaths, a 4% and 5% increase respectively. With the exception of the European region, which continues for the fourth consecutive week to reported an increase in new COVID-19 cases (18% increase as compared with the previous week), other regions reported a decline. The largest decrease in new weekly cases was reported from the African Region (21%), followed by the Western Pacific Region (17%). The European and South-East Asia regions reported an increase in new weekly COVID-19 deaths, 14% and 13% respectively, as compared with the previous week. The largest decline in new weekly deaths was reported from the Western Pacific region showing a 13% decrease as compared to the previous week. As of 24 October, over 243 million confirmed cases and over 4.9 million deaths have been reported since the start of the pandemic (WHO).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 26 October, Our World in Data reports 48.9% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 6.92 billion doses have been administered globally, and 24.93 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:

• Mexico. The Mexican government has resisted calls to vaccinate youths, despite a court order that it do so (NYT).
• Canada. The Canadian province of British Colombia will offer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to everyone over the age of 12 from January, officials have announced (Reuters).
• Bahrain has approved the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 3-11 years old (Reuters).
• Viet Nam will begin vaccinating children against COVID-19 using the Pfizer/BioNTech jab from next month (Reuters).

Other COVID-19 impacts

• China. A senior official with the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, said on Wednesday that Beijing is prepared for the Games but that the COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest challenge they face (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.