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

• Burundi. The people of Burundi continue to endure serious human rights violations including possible crimes against humanity, the majority committed by those with links to the ruling party, UN-appointed independent investigators said on Thursday (UN News).
• Hong Kong police arrested on Monday three members of a pro-democracy student group, accusing them of a “conspiracy to incite subversion” including by helping deliver snacks to prisoners with the aim of recruiting followers (Reuters).
• Russia. A student armed with a hunting rifle opened fire at a university in the Russian city of Perm on Monday, killing at least six people and wounding many others, investigators said (Reuters).

Natural Disasters

• United States. A number of wildfires continue to burn throughout western USA (in particular across California and Washington States), causing casualties and widespread damage (ERCC).
• Thailand. Heavy rain has been affecting 14 Provinces of Thailand, causing floods, triggering landslides and resulting in casualties (ERCC).
• Spain. The Cumbre Vieja volcano, located in southern La Palma Island (western Canary Islands) started erupting on 19 September. The eruption had lava fountains, lava flows and ash emissions from several eruptive vents. Volcanic ash is falling in the vicinity of the volcano. At least 5,000 people have been evacuated (it is not unlikely that more evacuations may take place in the next hours or days, depending on the evolution of the event)  and some roads have been closed (ERCC).
• Italy. Heavy rainfall and strong winds have been affecting northern Italy over the past 24 hours, causing a number of severe weather-related incidents that have resulted in damage (ERCC).

Health

• Europe. Between 10 and 16 September 2021, 11 human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection and no related deaths were reported by Italy (5), Romania (3), Hungary (2), and Germany (1). Serbia reported one fatal human case of WNV (ECDC).
• United States. A new case of human infection with swine influenza A(H3N2) virus variant was reported in Iowa sate, the United States of America, on 10 September 2021 (ECDC).
• India. As of 15 September 2021, media reports on the Nipah virus infection case note that test results for 140 close contacts of the index case, including the boy’s parents and healthcare workers who treated him, were confirmed to be negative. Samples from other close contacts continue to be sent for testing. Over 250 contacts have been identified and the high risk contacts are in isolation at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (ECDC).
• Congo (DRC). Since the previous report, and as of 11 September 2021, 69 additional suspected cases of Meningitis, including 22 deaths, have been reported. Since 1 June 2021, and as of 11 September 2021, 330 suspected cases, including 151 deaths (case fatality ratio of 46%) have been reported in Kisangani district in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ECDC).
• Madagascar. Since the last report on 3 September 2021 and as of 6 September, an additional five suspected cases of pneumonic plague, including six confirmed cases and four deaths have been reported. Since 29 August 2021 and as of 6 September, health authorities of the Arivonimamo district in Madagascar have reported 35cases of pneumonic plague, including 18 confirmed cases and 11 deaths (CFR = 31.4%) (ECDC).
• China. Since 23 July 2021, and as of 14 September 2021, 10 new cases, including three deaths, of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus were reported. All new cases were adults from 48 to 66 years of age from five Provinces in China (Chongqing, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Sichuan). All cases had exposure to poultry except one, whose exposure history remains unknown. No further cases were detected among contacts of these cases  (ECDC).
• Ethiopia. For months, the United Nations has warned of famine in this embattled corner of northern Ethiopia, calling it the world’s worst hunger crisis in a decade. Now internal documents and witness accounts reveal the first starvation deaths since Ethiopia’s government in June imposed what the U.N. calls “a de facto humanitarian aid blockade.” (The Telegraph).
• Bangladesh reported an additional 241 new dengue patients who were hospitalized on Sunday (Outbreak News Today)

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:

• Philippines has approved the resumption of face-to-face classes in areas deemed low risk for COVID-19, with up to 120 schools to join a two-month pilot reopening run, his education minister said on Monday (Reuters).
• The United States plans to relax travel restrictions on vaccinated passengers from the European Union and Britain from November, a source familiar with the plans said on Monday (Reuters).
• Singapore. Relaxed restrictions have sent cases soaring. Reopening plans have been delayed and some restrictions have been re-imposed, giving lockdown-weary Singaporeans a renewed sense of déjà vu (Al Jazeera).

Global cases and deaths. As of 20 September, Johns Hopkins University counts 228,635,141 COVID-19 cases and 4,693,785 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 20 September 228,206,384 cases and 4,687,066 deaths.

As notable cases:

• Brazil reported 935 COVID-19 deaths on Saturday and some 150,106 additional cases, according to data released by the nation’s Health Ministry, an unusually large number due to what officials said was an adjustment in how case numbers are tabulated (Reuters).
• Australia‘s New South Wales (NSW) state on Monday reported its lowest rise in daily COVID-19 cases in more than three weeks as some lockdown restrictions were eased in Sydney, the state capital, amid higher vaccination levels (Reuters).
• Singapore‘s health ministry reported 1,012 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest since April last year (Reuters).
• Italy reported 26 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday against 51 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 3,838 from 4,578 (Reuters).
• India conducted the lowest number of daily COVID-19 tests since mid-August on Sunday, as local governments are urged not to let their guard down during the September to November festival season (Reuters). India on Sunday reported 30,773 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, as it seeks to reopen the country to overseas tourists (Reuters).
• Turkmenistan is one of only a handful of countries, including North Korea, which says it has no coronavirus cases. But reports suggest it is experiencing its third and possibly strongest wave of Covid-19 (BBC).
• Mexico. The declining third wave of COVID-19 is reflected in the new coronavirus stoplight risk map, issued Friday by the federal Ministry of Health (MND)

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 19 September, Our World in Data reports 43.3% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 5.95 billion doses have been administered globally, and 28.87 million are now administered each day. Only 1.9% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 15 September over 5.63 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases:

• World. Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE said on Monday their COVID-19 vaccine induced a robust immune response in 5 to 11 year olds, and they plan to ask for regulatory authorization as soon as possible to use the shot in children in that age range in the United States, Europe and elsewhere (Reuters).
• India will resume exports of COVID-19 vaccines in the October quarter, prioritising the global vaccine-sharing platform COVAX and neighbouring countries first as supplies rise, the health minister said on Monday (Reuters).

Studies

• Cambodia. Researchers are collecting samples from bats in northern Cambodia in a bid to understand the coronavirus pandemic, returning to a region where a very similar virus was found in the animals a decade ago (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.