World Status Report
June 9, 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
Attacks by armed groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province pose grave threats to Central Africa’s fragile stability (UN News). Communities in rural Burkina Faso urgently need greater protection from violent extremists, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, insisted on Monday, in response to a deadly assault at the weekend that claimed the lives of at least 132 innocent people (UN News). Red Cross says 236,000 people in need of urgent assistance in Myanmar amid upheaval of COVID-19 and military coup (AlJazeera). Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group, is said to have committed suicide in battle. Far from solving a problem for the Nigerian government, his death is likely to further destabilize the region (DW). New Belarusian law threatens protesters with years in prison (WBAL)
Health
India battles a new challenge in mucormycosis or ‘black fungus’, a rare disease with a high mortality rate, currently reporting more than 28k cases (AlJazeera).
Natural Disasters
On May 22, 2021, Mount Nyiragongo, a volcano in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), erupted without warning. CDC recommends that U.S. residents avoid nonessential travel to North Kivu province in the DRC (CDC). At least 14 districts of Somalia have been impacted by widespread floods, affecting about 400,000 people, however it seems the rainy season ended earlier than usual and 2.8 million people are expected to be severely food insecure until September 2021 (ERCC). A tornado hit five villages located in Deli Serdang Regency (North Sumatra Province, western Indonesia) on 4 June, resulting in casualties and damage (ERCC). Two ongoing wildfires in eastern Arizona in the United States have burned an area of more than 44,856 ha, resulting in evacuations (ERCC).
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: The European Union is set to make available its COVID-19 passport for all EU citizens and residents, as well as for specific categories of travellers from third countries, by July 1 (Schengenvisainfo).
Globally, as of 07 June, Johns Hopkins University counts 173,360,912 COVID-19 cases and 3,730,506 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 06 June 172,630,637 cases and 3,718,683 deaths.
As notable cases: Underlying illness, respiratory infection raise risk for severe COVID in kids (CIDRAP). UK health minister says Delta variant 40 percent more transmissible (AlJazeera). Many countries are reporting fewer new coronavirus infections. But global data indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic is not quite over yet, with 70 countries reporting more cases as of June 4, in the previous two weeks compared with the previous 14 days (DW). India has reported a daily rise in new COVID-19 infections of 86,498 – the lowest figure in 66 days, according to a government statement (Reuters).
Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 06 June, Our World in Data reports 2.15 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 05 June over 1.9 billion administered vaccine doses.
As notable cases: South Korea administered a record number of COVID-19 vaccine doses on Monday – 857,000 – as its rollout picks up speed (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.
