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

Five health workers carrying out a polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province were killed on Tuesday, and four others injured, in a series of attacks (UN News). China flew twenty-eight planes, including fighters and bombers, into Taiwan’s airspace. It was the largest such incursion since Taiwan began regularly monitoring Chinese air activities last year (Reuters). Israel launched air strikes on Gaza in response to incendiary balloons that Palestinian militant groups flew over Israel. They were the first such strikes since a truce that ended an eleven-day conflict last month. No casualties were immediately reported (CNN). Hungary’s legislature passed a law that bans the distribution of any content deemed to promote being gay or transgender to people under the age of eighteen and institutes strict penalties for pedophilia. The move prompted large protests for conflating LGBTQ+ identities with pedophilia, among other reasons (Reuters). The new U.N. special envoy for crisis-wracked Mali warned Monday that further insecurity, especially in the country’s center and north, will have “drastic consequences” for the immediate region and beyond (USN). Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega arrested over the weekend five leading critics, continuing the suppression of the opposition ahead of presidential elections in November (MH).

Natural Disasters

Severe weather has impacted various countries resulting in displacement and damage. Floods in Guyana and Nepal.  Heavy rain and strong winds in Guatemala and Spain (ERCC).

Health

Potentially fatal black fungus cases reported in covid-19 patients in Oman, as infections there surge. Mucormycosis is a relatively rare infection that afflicts people with weakened immune systems, spreading through their respiratory tract and eating through facial structures (WaPo). North Korea‘s leader Kim Jong Un has called the country’s food situation “tense,” state media reported on Wednesday, amid mounting reports of shortages (WaPo).

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:  Japan is hoping to allow up to 10,000 spectators to attend mass events in Tokyo, potentially including the Olympics, after a state of emergency covering much of the country is lifted this weekend (WaPo). The European Union recommends lifting ban on U.S. travelers for first time since pandemic began, say diplomatic sources (WaPo). The Maldives relaxed a curfew in its capital Wednesday as new coronavirus infections continued to decline (WaPo). According to his four-stage plan, physical distancing curbs will start relaxing once new infections drop below 4,000 a day and about 10 percent of the population is fully vaccinated — a milestone Malaysia expects to hit in the next two months (WaPo). Covid outbreaks in ports in China could cause global goods shortages (Guardian). Pakistan has placed strict restrictions on travellers from 26 countries, including India, to contain the spread of Covid-19 cases in the country (Times of India). Residents of Melbourne, Australia will be allowed to travel more than 25km from home and mandatory outdoor mask-wearing will end on Friday (Reuters).

Globally, as of 16 June, Johns Hopkins University counts 176,703,553 COVID-19 cases and 3,824,115 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports  176,156,662 cases and 3,815,486 deaths.

As notable cases: The delta coronavirus variant currently accounts for nearly 10% of coronavirus cases in the United States, according to the CDC. With concerns it could become the dominant strain soon, medical experts are underscoring the importance of full vaccination (CNN).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue.  As of 15 June, Our World in Data reports 2.45 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 2.31 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases: In Russia, Moscow’s coronavirus worsening outbreak prompts a mandate for businesses operating in the hospitality, education, health-care and entertainment sectors to ensure 60 percent of their workforces are vaccinated (WaPo). Nigeria expects to receive a further shipment of nearly 4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in August, allowing the country to resume giving first doses (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.