Overseas Situation Report 11th November 2021

 

by Mike Evans

As the USA finally opens its borders to foreign visitors for the first time in 20 months this report is looking at how the virus is still rampant in many places despite the vaccinations.

Yesterday the USA finally opened their borders for Europeans and other countries citizens to travel to the US as long as they are fully vaccinated. The order signed by President Biden says, “Vaccination requirements are essential to advance the safe resumption of international travel to the United States,” the order says. “These policies aim to limit the risk that Covid-19, including variants of the virus that causes Covid-19, is introduced, transmitted and spread into and throughout the United States.”

The order does not apply to children of an age for which vaccination would be “inappropriate”. It also does not apply to airline crew members, so long as crew follow “all industry standard protocols for the prevention of Covid-19”.

Some other groups of travellers, including those seeking some visas, are also exempt, though exempted travellers generally must agree to become fully vaccinated within 60 days of arrival. Air travellers also need a negative COVID-19 test. Testing is required of all fully vaccinated air travellers ages 2 and up, regardless of nationality.

Passengers are required to test negative for COVID-19 within three days of their flight’s departure for the United States. The United States is largely wide open, although there are some state and local restrictions that still apply. For example, there are mask mandates in Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Washington, DC and Puerto Rico also require masks in indoor public spaces. In some cities, including New York and San Francisco, there are vaccine requirements for indoor public spaces including restaurants,

Global Covid-19 cases have surpassed 250 million as some countries in eastern Europe experience record outbreaks, even as the Delta variant surge eases and many countries resume trade and tourism.

The daily average number of cases has fallen by 36% over the past three months, according to a Reuters analysis, but the virus is still infecting 50 million people every 90 days due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

By contrast, it took nearly a year to record the first 50 million Covid-19 cases to be reported. Health experts are optimistic that many nations have put the worst of the pandemic behind them thanks to vaccines and natural exposure, although they caution that colder weather and upcoming holiday gatherings could increase cases.

“We think between now and the end of 2022, this is the point where we get control over this virus… where we can significantly reduce severe disease and death,” Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist leading the World Health Organization, said.

Infections are still rising in 55 out of 240 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Greece at or near record levels of reported cases since the pandemic started, according to a Reuters analysis. Several Russian regions said this week they could impose additional restrictions or extend a workplace shutdown as the country witnesses record deaths due to the disease.

Eastern Europe has among the lowest vaccination rates in the region. More than half of all new infections reported worldwide were from countries in Europe, with a million new infections about every four days, according to the analysis.

Germany’s incidence rate measuring the number of new coronavirus infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days has soared to 201.1, a record since the pandemic erupted more than a year ago. The figure, published by Germany’s Robert Koch Institute, surpasses the last high, which had been 197.6 reached on 22 December 2020.

While many more people in the country have had the jab than at that point last year, vaccination rates have stagnated at under 70%, with officials pleading in the last days for the population to get the jab. “For the unvaccinated, the risk is high that they will become infected in the coming months,” warned RKI chief Lothar Wieler on Wednesday.

In the eastern state of Saxony, where the incidence rate is more than twice the national average at 491.3, unvaccinated people face new restrictions. Access to indoor dining and other indoor events will be limited to those who are fully vaccinated or can show proof of recovery. The new rules are the toughest state-wide restrictions in Germany against non-inoculated people. Only children as well as those who cannot receive jabs for medical reasons will be exempt.

The surge in German cases comes with the country in political limbo following September’s general election. The incoming coalition parties, aiming to form a government by early December, have so far ruled out mandatory jabs and said there will be no new lockdowns – at least not for the vaccinated.

Several world leaders have stressed the need to improve vaccination programmes around the world, particularly in the least wealthy countries.

More than half the world’s population has yet to receive a single dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to Our World in Data, a figure that drops to less than 5% in low-income countries. Improving vaccine access will be on the agenda of meetings of the powerful Asia-Pacific trade group APEC, hosted virtually by New Zealand this week.

APEC members, which include Russia, China and the United States, pledged at a special meeting in June to expand sharing and manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccines and lift trade barriers for medicines. “Together we are continuing to keep supply chains functioning and are supporting trade in critical medical supplies – including testing kits, PPE and now vaccines,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

The WHO and other aid groups last month appealed to leaders of the world’s 20 biggest economies to fund a $23.4 billion plan to bring Covid-19 vaccines, tests, and drugs to poorer countries in the next 12 months.Finally more news from the USA is that Two hyenas at the Denver zoo have tested positive for Covid-19, the first confirmed cases among the animals worldwide.

Samples from a variety of animals at the zoo, including the spotted hyenas, were tested after several of its lions became ill, according to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL). The hyena samples tested presumptive positive at a lab at Colorado State University and were confirmed by the national lab.

In addition to the two hyenas, 11 lions and two tigers at the zoo tested positive. “Hyenas are famously tough, resilient animals that are known to be highly tolerant to anthrax, rabies and distemper. They are otherwise healthy and expected to make a full recovery,” the zoo said in a statement. Zoo officials said the hyenas – 22-year-old Ngozi and 23-year-old Kibo – had mild symptoms including slight lethargy, some nasal discharge and a cough.

The other animals that tested positive in recent weeks had either fully recovered or were on the path to a full recovery. “We now know that many other species may be susceptible to Covid-19 based on multiple reports, and we continue to use the highest level of care and precaution when working with all of our 3,000 animals and 450 different species,” the zoo said.

Infections have been reported in multiple species worldwide, mostly in animals that had close contact with a person infected with Covid-19, according to the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the NVSL. It said on Friday that scientists were still learning about coronavirus infections in animals but based on the information available the risk of animals spreading the virus to people was low.

People with Covid-19 should avoid close contact with animals, including pets, to protect them from possible infection, it said.

And on that news  as always Stay Safe until the next time.