The Overseas Situation Report Tuesday 19 April 2022

by Mike Evans

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path.”

– Winston Churchill

Here is the latest update of the Covid 19 situation around the world compiled by data from a variety of sources showing figures reported up to 17 April 2022. In the past week South Korea has led the world with the highest number of reported cases while India has seen its death toll fall to 76 in the past week.

The COVID-19 situation is trending in opposite directions in two Asian countries — up in South Korea and down in India — with worldwide deaths down 33% in one week and an 802,000 daily average and cases dropping 25% to around 2,600 each day.

South Korea reported the most cases in the world in the past week with 1,043,562 though it was a 32% weekly decline and deaths were third in the world with 1,797 behind the United States and Russia. The nation has moved up to eighth in the world at 16,305,752 cases with only 630,748 reported through the end of last year.

Conversely, India, which has the second-highest population in the world at 1.4 billion, reported only 66 weekly deaths, including just one on Thursday with four Sunday for a total of 521,751, third behind the United States and Brazil. The last time there were zero was March 24, 200 with the record 6,148 last June when the Delta variant emerged there. And cases declined 4%, including around 1,000 each day last week after a record 414,438 May 6, 2021.

Numbers continue to decrease despite sub variants of Omicron. In all, a total of 504,530,873 cases have been reported worldwide, including 7,611,566 in the past week, in tracking by Worldometers.info on Sunday. And deaths rose by 18,646 over seven days for a total of 6,222,532.

Infections and fatalities decreased on every continent except deaths up slightly in Oceania. Last week, daily cases dropped to 703,222 on Friday, the fewest since 584,081 Dec. 10 before the Omicron variant dominated and 2,142 deaths Sunday, the lowest since 2,088 March 23, 2020, during the start of the pandemic. The cases’ weekly average dropped below 1 million last week for the first time since 989,391 Dec. 28.

There has been a spike in some places in the world, including a 4% weekly case rise in the United States though deaths are down 38%. The BA.2 variant, which has an increased level of transmissibility compared with the original Omicron strain, has become the dominant variant in the U.S. Omicron first was reported in South Africa on Nov. 25.

“We are certainly seeing the beginning of a surge of new infections,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a CNN report. “It depends on how high we go up in the surge, and it depends on whether the surge is associated with an increase in severe disease. “I can’t say where we are right now, because we’re transitioning.”

South America had the biggest weekly decline in cases at 29% for a cumulative 56,542,229, closely followed by Asia at 28% for 1,415,643, Europe 24% for 186,669,458, North America 15% for 97,387,605, Oceania 16% for 6,495,886 and Africa 6% for 11,823,610.

In deaths, Africa declined 57% with the total 253,384 followed by North America 34% with 1,452,856, South America 29% with 1,291,923, Europe 28% with 1,798,713, Asia 23% with 1,415,643, and Oceania increasing 4% with 9,999.

In all, more than 11.4 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, an increase of less than 100 million in a week with the world’s population of 7.9 billion, according to Bloomberg tracking.

Broken down by world regions, the United States and Canada have administered at least one dose to 78% of the population, tied with Latin America and Asia-Pacific, Europe at 68%, Middle East 55% and Africa at 20%, according to The New York Times tracking.

On Sunday, Korea reported 93,001 cases, the first time under 100,00 since Feb. 22. And deaths were 203. The record was 470 on March 24 with the mark until this year 109 on Dec. 23.

On Friday, health authorities announced plans for the end to virtually all restrictions, including no limits on hours for retail and restaurants plus no size restrictions for weddings and rallies. Also, the seven-day isolation requirement for people who test positive would end in late May. The government will consider ending its outdoor mask mandate in two weeks.

“It’s inevitable that we’ll have to keep wearing a mask indoors for a long time,” Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said.

At the other extreme in Asia, India’s cases and deaths are at pandemic lows.

On Sunday, India reported 1,150 cases for a total of 43,042,097, a gain of only 7,000 in one week.

India is disputing calculations by the World Health Organisation more than 4 million people have died from COVID-19 instead of the official more than 500,000. In all, WHO calculated 9 million more worldwide.

“India feels that the process was neither collaborative nor adequately representative,” the government said in a statement to the United Nations Statistical Commission in February.

Mainland China, where the outbreak was first announced in December 2019, reported 3,896 cases Sunday, the most since 5,090 Feb. 13, 2020, for a total of 182,293. On March 26, China reported the first two deaths since a year ago January for a total of 4,638 in 88th, behind Sudan with 4,929.

Most of the new cases have occurred in Shanghai, the financial capital of China where the entire 25 million residents have been in a lockdown as the city has struggled to contain the Omicron variant of COVID-19. People are required to quarantine if they test positive and are banned from leaving the community and hosting gatherings.

Shanghai is In a bid to reignite the city, Shanghai’s Economic and Information Technology Commission on Saturday published guidelines for resuming production in a post on its WeChat account, Bloomberg News reported.

Hong Kong reported 747 cases Sunday, the first time under 800 in nine weeks, for a total of 1,197,825 with the record 56,827 on March 10, and 29 fatalities for a cumulative 9,139, including a record 294 March 11. Until this year, Hong Kong, an island of 7.6 million people that has separate governing and economic systems from Communist China, had reported only 163 deaths and 243,612 cases. In 2020, there were 148 deaths and 8,847 cases.

Hong Kong next week plans to ease social distancing, but it is prepared to make rapid testing more available.

In Europe, Germany had the third-most cases in the world in the past week with 777,479 but dropped 26%. France had the second-most, 844,653, dropping 11% and is at 26,839,721 in fourth overall in the world, adding 111,583 Saturday with the record 501,635 Feb. 1. Italy is fourth worldwide in the past week with 421,040 overall and 51,993 Sunday for a total of 15,659,835 in ninth place. Britain ranks sixth in cases at 21,747,638.

Four nations are in the top 10 for deaths: Russia fourth with 373,500 including 233 Sunday; Britain seventh at 171,396 with no data on weekends; Italy eighth at 161,687 with 85 Sunday and France 10th at 144,122 with 61 Saturday.

Germany is 13th in deaths at 133,426, including 11 Sunday but fifth in cases at 23,436,630, including 23,053 Sunday.

In terms of vaccinations, Russia is lagging the world in vaccinations with 54.9% of its population with at least one dose of a domestic-produced vaccine, including Sputnik 5. Two other Eastern European nations have low vaccination rates: Ukraine at 38% and Romania at 42.3%. Poland’s rate is 59.8% and Czech Republic’s is 65%.

Most nations in Europe are heavily vaccinated, according to tracking by Bloomberg. In the European Union, it’s 75.9%, including 87.4% in Spain, 85.1% in Italy, 84.2% in France, 83.1% in Denmark, 77.3% in Netherlands, 76.6% in Germany, 76.6% in Austria.

Italy, Spain and Portugal kept their vaccine entry rules in place over the Easter break. Restrictions also remain in place in Germany.

Across the Atlantic, The United States’ deaths dropped 38% in one week, but cases were up 4%. On Saturday, the United States reported 80 deaths and 12,890 cases though only eight states reported data. Totals are 1,015.441 fatalities and 82,309,113 infections. The U.S. holds the world record for daily cases at 903,334 on Jan. 7.

The last time cases were under 100,000, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention: 115,931 Feb. 22. The seven-day moving average is 34,778.

Mexico is fifth in the world in deaths at 323,938 with a weekly decrease of 34% and 35 recorded Saturday and the record 1,417 in late January a year ago. The nation’s cases decreased 99% with 1,192most recently for 20th at 5,719,829.

Canada’s cases decreased 1% in one week with 8,533 Saturday after 19,215 Thursday, for 32nd with 3,568,118 The record was 55,359 in mid-January. Canada’s deaths are up 5% and the nation ranks 26th worldwide with 38,311 including 23 Saturday with the record 257 on Dec. 29, 2020.

Canada has low rates per million with deaths at 999 and cases 94,757. The United States is at 3,036 deaths per million compared with the world at 798.2 and 246,089 cases per million and the world at 64,085. High on the world list in cases per million: Iceland 532,982, Denmark 505,763, Netherlands 465,952 Israel 431,959

Canada has the best one-shot vaccination rate of the three largest countries in North America at 85.4%. The United States is at 76.5% for one shot. Mexico’s percentage is 67.1%.

In South America there has been a general decline in cases and deaths. Brazil will for the first time in two years run the Rio Carnival. The Samba Parades for the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro will begin Wednesday, the first time since the pandemic with the year’s delay from February before Lent.

Next time we will bring more news of the situations in Africa, Oceania and more of Asia. Until then Stay Safe.

Total Cases Worldwide – 505,261,943

Total Deaths Worldwide – 6,224,831

Total Recovered Worldwide – 457,041,998

Total Active Cases Worldwide – 41,995,114 (8.3 % of the total cases)

Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 463,266,829

Information and Resources:

https://www.worldometer.info/coronavirus/

https://www.upi.com/amp/Top_News/World-News/

https://www.Bloomberg.com

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/#countries

 

The Overseas Situation Report Saturday 9th April 2022

by Mike Evans

“Beware of rashness, but with energy and sleepless vigilance go forward and give us victories”

Abraham Lincoln

With the war in Ukraine entering its second month for many there would be a feeling that the Covid 19 pandemic was a thing of the past. Across the world this is clearly not the case with some countries reporting a sixth wave of new infections. The good news to report is that in the past week new cases dropped by 23% across the world although these figures are all reliant on the respective health departments of governments to provide the figures.

In Europe in the past week there has been a drop of 25% in new cases reported although sadly the drop in deaths has been less with a 6% fall compared to the previous 7 days.

Across Europe there were 3,735,819 new cases compared to 4,983,209 the previous week and all countries with the exception of Belgium recorded drops in cases. Belgium had a 3% increase with 80,070 new cases reported. It should be noted that Portugal does not provide daily figures anymore and only gives a weekly figure so for this comparison we cannot include Portugal.

In other parts of the world the picture is mixed. In the North Americas there was a 3% increase in new cases with both Canada and Mexico reporting a big jump in new cases. Canada reported a 23% increase and Mexico a 56% increase albeit on much smaller numbers that they had previously during the height of the pandemic. In Canada’s case the death rate also rose by 21%. With a sixth wave of COVID-19 around the corner, Health Canada confirmed there are at least six cases of the XE recombinant of Omicron in the country.

“As of April 6, 2022, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is aware of six detections of the XE recombinant lineage of Omicron in Canada,” a PHAC spokesperson wrote in an email. COVID-19 XE is a recombination of Omicron’s BA.1 and BA.2 sub variants. A recombinant virus is a combination of genetic material from two or more different viruses, in this case, the original variant of Omicron and the more infectious “stealth Omicron. “The XE recombinant variant was first detected in the U.K. in mid-January, and there have been 637 cases identified in the country since then. Limited cases have also been reported in China and Thailand. The locations of the XE COVID-19 infections, or how infections happened, were not disclosed.

Canada’s daily COVID-19 cases have fallen since the record-setting fifth wave fuelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant but have plateaued at a level higher than seen before in the two-year-long pandemic. As of April 1, the seven-day average of daily lab-confirmed cases sits just above 7,798, much lower than the record high of over 45,000 daily cases set on Jan. 7. The average has remained relatively steady for the past month.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam and her provincial counterparts have said those confirmed cases are likely an undercount of the true number of cases, which could be up to 10 times higher. Many parts of the country no longer provide laboratory tests for most people after capacity was overwhelmed by the spread of Omicron.

Tam has acknowledged that Canada is past the peak of the COVID-19 wave caused by the Omicron variant and is likely ready to move out of a crisis response. But she has also warned the virus is still circulating in several areas of the country. While cases were dropping week-to-week through most of February, infections only dropped 4.5 per cent between the end of February and the beginning of March.

“While some jurisdictions are currently reporting increased case counts, ongoing easing of public health measures could lead to increased transmission in more areas over the coming weeks,” Tam told reporters on March 4. As of April, the number of Canadians seeking treatment in hospital for COVID-19 sits at 4,225, less than half of the record 10,800 patients seen in January. The number includes 392 people who are being treated for COVID-19 in intensive care units.

The country is currently seeing an average of 37 deaths per day, down from the near-record average of 169 seen in late January. That number has begun to fall again after plateauing between late February and early March.

Across the world to China where the pandemic first started and there is increasing concern that the number of new cases is rising fast. In Shanghai, the Authorities announced a record 21,000 new cases and a third consecutive day of COVID testing as a lockdown of its 26 million people showed no sign of easing and other Chinese cities tightened curbs – even in places with no recent infections.

Beijing authorities intervened in Shanghai after its failure to isolate COVID by locking the city down in stages and insisted that the country stick to its zero-tolerance policy to prevent its medical system from breaking down.

Shanghai’s outbreak has surpassed 130,000 cases in total, far exceeding the approximately 50,000 symptomatic cases recorded in the original outbreak in the central city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, although Chinese authorities did not start reporting asymptomatic cases until after Wuhan’s peak.

Stories of crowded and unsanitary central quarantine centres and fears of family separation have driven calls for home quarantine in Shanghai.

The Shanghai government has started allowing some close contacts to isolate at home and on Wednesday eased its policy of separating infected children from their parents.

However, food supply remains a concern with residents, due to a shortage of couriers.

On Friday afternoon results for the hashtag “Shanghai buy food” were blocked on the Twitter-like social media site Weibo.

Weibo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shanghai has not indicated when it may lift its lockdown.

Late on Thursday, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said on its Weibo account that action taken in Shanghai had to be “thunderous” to cut off the chain of transmission. In theory, he said, if multiple rounds of PCR testing were conducted in mega-cities with populations as large as 27 million within 2-3 days, they could reach zero cases “on the community level” within 10 days to two weeks.

Of Shanghai’s cases, just one is suffering severe symptoms and is under treatment, a health official said on Friday.

Authorities across China, which have mostly managed to keep COVID at bay for the last two years, are stepping up coronavirus control measures, including movement restrictions, mass testing and new quarantine centres.

Cities that sprang into action this week include Zhengzhou, in central Henan province, which on Thursday said it would test all 12.6 million residents after finding a few asymptomatic cases.

Beijing has strengthened regular screening for employees in the city’s key sectors, requiring all staff at elderly care agencies, schools and institutions handling imported goods to take tests at least once a week.

In Shizong county in southwest China’s Yunnan province, shops were shut, transport suspended, and residents barred from leaving their towns or villages.

Nomura this week estimated that 23 Chinese cities have implemented either full or partial lockdowns. The cities collectively are home to an estimated 193 million people and contribute 22% of China’s GDP. These include Changchun, a major manufacturing hub that has been locked down for 28 days.

Ernan Cui, an analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics who studied COVID policies announced by China’s 100 largest cities, said most were choosing to keep restrictions in place even after case numbers returned to zero.

The curbs “suggest that the economic impact of the various lockdowns will not ease in a matter of days or even weeks”, she said in a note.

If Shanghai’s lockdown continues throughout April the city will suffer a 6% loss in GDP, amounting to a 2% GDP loss for China as a whole, ING Chief Economist for Greater China Iris Pang said in a note.

Whilst these two countries continue to battle the pandemic, we must all be aware that the figures being reported now are far lower than a year ago and that there is “light” at the end of the tunnel.

Until the next time, Stay Safe.

Total Cases Worldwide – 496,738,916

Total Deaths Worldwide – 6,196,341

Total Recovered Worldwide – 432,452,228 

Total Active Cases Worldwide – 58,090,347 (11.7 % of the total cases) 

Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 438,648,569

Information and Resources:

https://www.worldometer.info/coronavirus/

https://globalnews.ca/news/6649164/canada-coronavirus-cases/

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#main_table

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-widens-covid-testing-other-chinese-cities-impose-curbs-2022-04-08/

The Overseas Situation Report Friday 1 April 2022

by Mike Evans

“We Continue to Be Vigilant”

Marek Belka

As we start the beginning of another month, and the current status regarding the Covid situation in Portugal continues until the end of the month at least, we are looking at the rise of the Omnicron Variant BA2 and how it is affecting more people across the world.

From the World Health Organisation, we have compiled the following report which gives an overview of what is happening up to the end of March. There is increasing concern amongst the officials at the WHO that many countries across the world are reducing their efforts to combat the virus.

Between the end of January and early March 2022, there was a decreasing trend in the number of new COVID-19 cases, which was followed by two consecutive weeks of increases in cases.

During the week of 21 through 27 March 2022, the number of new cases declined again with a 14% decrease as compared to the previous week. On the other hand, during the same period, the number of new weekly deaths increased by 43%, likely driven by changes in the definition of COVID-19 deaths in some countries in the Region of the Americas (Chile and the United States of America) and by retrospective adjustments reported from India in the South-East Asia Region.

Across the six WHO regions, over 10 million new cases and over 45 000 new deaths were reported. All regions reported decreasing trends in the number of new weekly cases and four regions reported a decreasing trend in new weekly deaths (Table 1). As of 27 March 2022, over 479 million confirmed cases and over 6 million deaths have been reported globally.

At the country level, the highest number of new weekly cases were reported from the Republic of Korea (2 442 195 new cases; -13%), Germany (1 576 261 new cases; +2%), Viet Nam (1 127 716 new cases; -40%), France (845 119 new cases; +45%), and Italy (503 932 new cases; +6%). The highest number of new weekly deaths were reported from Chile (11,858 new deaths; +1710%), the United States of America (5 367 new deaths; +83%), India (4 525 new deaths; +619%), the Russian Federation (2 859 new deaths; -22%), and the Republic of Korea (2 471 new deaths; +22%).

The trends reported above should be interpreted with caution as several countries are progressively changing their COVID-19 testing strategies, resulting in lower overall numbers of tests performed and consequently lower numbers of cases detected.

Despite a generalised decline in the rate of SARS-CoV-2 testing observed across the six WHO regions, the number of new weekly cases increased again in early to mid-March, indicating that the virus is currently circulating at very high levels. WHO is concerned about the recent significant reduction in SARS-CoV-2 testing by several Member States.

Data is becoming progressively less representative, less timely, and less robust. Decreases in testing, unless done judiciously as part of a strategy aimed at maintaining robust surveillance where it is most impactful, may affect the capacity of countries to identify cases and enable their timely treatment or isolation, and implement other necessary control measures, with the consequent risk of increased spread of SARS-CoV-2.

This may translate in an increase in hospitalizations and deaths, and significant strains on healthcare systems, particularly in areas where public health and social measures have been lifted and where vaccination coverage 3 against COVID-19 is low. Furthermore, reduced testing impacts the capacity of countries to detect emerging variants early, ultimately impairing response efforts. COVID-19 remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and it is too early to reduce the quality of surveillance.

Until we reach the end of the acute phase of the pandemic, countries must maintain sufficient epidemiologic surveillance to inform evidence-based operational decision-making on crucial parameters, including vaccination strategies, vaccine composition, use of therapeutics, and tailored and appropriate public health and social measures.

Based on available data of transmission, severity, reinfection, diagnostics, therapeutics and impacts of vaccines, the group reinforced that the BA.2 sublineage should continue to be considered a variant of concern and that it should remain classified as Omicron. The group emphasised that BA.2 should continue to be monitored as a distinct sublineage of Omicron by public health authorities.

BA.2 differs from BA.1 in its genetic sequence, including some amino acid differences in the spike protein and other proteins. Studies have shown that BA.2 has a growth advantage over BA.1.  Studies are ongoing to understand the reasons for this growth advantage, but initial data suggest that BA.2 appears inherently more transmissible than BA.1, which currently remains the most common Omicron sublineage reported.  This difference in transmissibility appears to be much smaller than, for example, the difference between BA.1 and Delta. Further, although BA.2 sequences are increasing in proportion relative to other Omicron sublineages (BA.1 and BA.1.1), there is still a reported decline in overall cases globally.

In the African Region, the decreasing trend observed since January 2022 continues, with over 24 000 new weekly cases reported, representing a 29% decrease as compared to the previous week. However, fourteen (29%) countries in the Region reported an increase of over 20% in cases, with some of the greatest proportional increases observed in Equatorial Guinea (101 vs 4 new cases; +2425%), Lesotho (105 vs 59 new cases; +78%), and Rwanda (71 vs 48 new cases; +48%).

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from South Africa (8934 new cases; 15.1 new cases per 100 000 population; -9%), Réunion (8494 new cases; 948.7 new cases per 100 000; similar to the previous week’s figures), and Mauritius (2410 new cases; 189.5 new cases per 100 000; -77%).

The number of new weekly deaths in the Region decreased by 30% as compared to the previous week, with over 150 new deaths reported. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from South Africa (86 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000 population; -49%), Mauritius (34 new deaths; 2.7 new deaths per 100 000 population; similar to the previous week’s figures, and Réunion (13 new deaths; 1.5 new deaths per 100 000; +44%).

In the Region of the Americas there has been a decreasing trend since mid January 2022, with over 634 000 new weekly cases reported, corresponding to a 14% decrease as compared to the previous week. However, eleven (20%) countries in the Region reported increases in new cases of 20% or greater, with the greatest increases observed in the islands of Sint Eustatius (142 vs 13 new cases; +992%), Anguilla (39 vs 20 new cases; +95%) and Saint Pierre and Miquelon (577 vs 298 new cases; +94%).

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Brazil (229 145 new cases; 107.8 new cases per 100 000; -15%), the United States of America (207 093 new cases; 62.6 new cases per 100 000; -6%), and Chile (61 337 new cases; 320.9 new cases per 100 000; -36%).

The Region reported over 20 000 new weekly deaths, a 182% increase as compared to the previous week, which was partly due to changes in the definition of COVID-19 deaths in Chile and in one state in the United States of America. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from Chile (11 858 new deaths; 62.0 new deaths per 100 000; +1710%), the United States of America (5367 new deaths; 1.6 new deaths per 100 000; +83%), and Brazil (1768 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; -21%).

In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, new weekly cases have continued to decline following a peak reached in early February 2022. Just over 50 000 new weekly cases were reported, a 32% decrease as compared to the previous week. However, two (9%) countries in the Region have reported increases in new cases of 20% or greater: Tunisia (3969 vs 534 new cases; +643%) and occupied Palestinian territory (1088 vs 718 new cases; +52%).

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from the Islamic Republic of Iran (9572 new cases; 11.4 new cases per 100 000; -51%), Jordan (9135 new cases; 89.5 new cases per 100 000; -64%), and Bahrain (6527 new cases; 383.6 new cases per 100 000; -14%).

The number of new weekly deaths in the Region decreased by 22% when compared to the previous week, with just over 800 new deaths reported. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from the Islamic Republic of Iran (421 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; -41%), Tunisia (100 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; +426%), and Egypt (84 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; -20%).

The European Region reported over 5.2 million new weekly cases, representing a 4% decrease as compared to the previous week. Six (10%) countries in the Region reported increases in new cases of 20% or greater, with the largest observed in Israel (88 869 vs 47 796 new cases; +86%), Hungary (15 269 vs 9727 new cases; +57%) and Malta (2434 vs 1628 new cases; +50%).

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Germany (1 576 261 new cases; 1895.3 new cases per 100 000; +2%), France (845 119 new cases; 1299.4 new cases per 100 000; +45%), and Italy (503 932 new cases; 844.9 new cases per 100 000; +6%).

The number of new deaths has continued to decrease in the Region, with over 11 000 new deaths reported this week, a 17% decrease as compared to the previous week. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from the Russian Federation (2859 new deaths; 2.0 new deaths per 100 000; -22%), Germany (1521 new deaths; 1.8 new deaths per 100 000; +13%), and Italy (1008 new deaths; 1.7 new deaths per 100 000; +11%).

The South-East Asia Region reported over 232 000 new weekly cases, a 14% decline as compared to the previous week, continuing the decreasing trend observed since mid-January 2022. However, Sri Lanka reported an increase in new weekly cases of 25% (2693 vs 2156 new cases).

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Thailand (175 116 new cases; 250.9 new cases per 100 000; +4% increase), Indonesia (36 470 new cases; 13.3 new cases per 100 000; -49%), and India (11 612 new cases; <1 new case per 100 000; -31%).

The Region reported just over 6000 new weekly deaths, representing a 116% increase as compared to the previous week. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from India (4525 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; +619%) due to retrospective adjustments in some states, followed by Indonesia (932 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; -41%), and Thailand (553 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; +3%).

With over 4.6 million new weekly cases, the Western Pacific Region reported a 24% decrease as compared to the previous week, reversing the increasing trend observed since the end of December 2021. Seven (23%) countries in the Region reported an increase of 20% or greater, with some of the largest increases observed in Vanuatu (1234 vs 352 new cases; +251%), Guam (487 vs 142 new cases; +243%) and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (16 037 vs 6449; +149%).

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from the Republic of Korea (2 442 195 new cases; 4763.5 new cases per 100 000; -13%), Viet Nam (1 127 716 new cases; 1158.5 new cases per 100 000; -40%), and Australia (368 028 new cases; 1443.3 new cases per 100 000; -28%).

The number of new weekly deaths shows a decrease of 5% as compared to the previous week, with just over 6600 new deaths reported. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from the Republic of Korea (2471 new deaths; 4.8 new deaths per 100 000; +22%), China (1453 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; -24%), and the Philippines (861 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; +48%).

It is clear from these figures that the virus is continuing to affect all our lives and we must continue to make sure we all do everything possible to stop its spread. Until the next time Stay Safe.

Total Cases Worldwide – 487,718,978

Total Deaths Worldwide – 6,164,675

Total Recovered Worldwide – 422,743,595

Total Active Cases Worldwide – 58,810,708 (12 % of the total cases) 

Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 428,908,270

Information and Resources:

https://www.worldometer.info/coronavirus/

https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19—29-march-2022

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/#weekly_table

 

The Overseas Situation Report Friday 25th March 2022

by Mike Evans

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow” 

English Proverb

With the world concentrating on the War that is happening in Ukraine it has been a while since we last posted an Overseas report. For this report we are reporting on the situation across Europe with regards to the covid travel restrictions that are still in place.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has revealed through its latest update that even though the COVID-19 situation has started to improve in some specific areas, other ones keep on registering new infection cases. The maps updated yesterday, on March 24, by the EU Health Agency show that several popular destinations – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Austria – have been registering increased infection cases.

Taking into account the high number of newly detected infection cases, ECDC has explained that all these countries are either coloured dark red or red on their map which we have reproduced on our Facebook page.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), of all EU countries, France has been registering the highest infection rate. Data provided by WHO show that France has reported 713,812 new COVID-19 infection cases in the last seven days.

Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Austria have also been registering increased numbers of infection cases. In the last seven days, Germany reported 1,606,389 new infection cases. During the same period, Italy reported 506,984 new cases, Spain reported 78,463 new cases, the Netherlands reported 295,374 cases, Poland reported 61,462 cases, Belgium reported 56,577 new cases, and Austria reported 308,620 new cases.

Taking into account the sudden increase of COVID-19 cases, travellers might feel hesitant about taking a trip outside their country this spring.

However, according to many travel experts, it is completely safe for vaccinated persons to travel within the EU as the current Omicron subvariant is milder than the previous variants.

“The subvariant of Omicron, known as BA.2, is less likely to result in severe illness. Travellers who have completed their primary vaccination, as well as those who have received an additional vaccine dose, do not need to put their plans on hold. However, everyone is still recommended to follow basic health measures, such as washing hands regularly and staying home when experiencing any symptoms,” the experts assert.

While ECDC currently advises that only persons who have been fully vaccinated and recovered from the virus take non-essential trips, several EU countries now permit entry to everyone, even to unvaccinated and unrecovered persons.

After concluding that the virus no longer causes serious health implications, six European Union and European Economic Area countries – Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Romania, and Slovenia – have decided to lift all their COVID-19 restrictions.

As spring and summer holidays approach, six European Union/European Economic Area countries have already announced that they no longer ask travellers to present valid COVID-19 proof upon arrival.

Hungary lifted its entry restrictions earlier this month. Announcing the decision, the Hungarian government said that all incoming travellers, regardless of their country of origin, can now enter Hungary without having to present a vaccination, recovery, or test certificate upon their arrival.

In addition, Hungary has also abolished the majority of its domestic COVID-19 restrictions. Travellers are no longer required to hold a valid vaccination or recovery pass when accessing cafes, restaurants, bars, cinemas, and museums, among others.

Similarly, travellers are exempt from all the entry rules when entering Iceland too.

“All COVID-19 measures at the Icelandic border have now ended. Thereby no COVID-19 prevention measures will be in place at the border, regardless of whether individuals are vaccinated or unvaccinated,” the statement of the Icelandic authorities reads.

While in Iceland, travellers are not required to follow any national measures as the country has abolished them too.

Irish authorities also announced earlier this month that the country would no longer require travellers to present one of the certificates upon entry. Moreover, Ireland has also removed the requirement to fill in the Passenger Locator Form.

Just like the three above-mentioned countries, Norway also permits restriction-free entry to travellers. All persons, even unvaccinated and unrecovered ones, have been able to enter Norway without having to worry about the entry and domestic rules.

Slovenia has lifted all its measures too. All travellers, regardless of their country of origin, can now enter Slovenia without being required to provide proof of their vaccination or recovery status. However, the authorities have explained some categories of travellers are still required to complete the Passenger Locator Form.

Unlike Slovenia, Romania applies more relaxed rules. Apart from removing the requirement to present a vaccination or recovery certificate, the country’s authorities have also lifted the requirement to fill out the Passenger Locator Form.

Other countries, such as Germany, France, and Italy, have also eased some of their COVID-19 rules. The majority of them no longer require travellers to hold a vaccination, recovery, or test certificate when accessing different public places and events. All travellers, regardless of their vaccination and recovery status, can now enter these six countries for all kinds of purposes without having to present a vaccination, recovery, or test certificate upon their entry.

Other countries have also eased some of their restrictions. The majority of them have already lifted their domestic COVID-19 rules, meaning that they no longer require travellers to hold valid proof when accessing different public places and events. While travellers have welcomed the decision of EU countries to lift or relax some of their restrictions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) remains cautious about the current situation.

WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said earlier this week that the EU countries lifted their restrictions ‘too brutally’. According to him, the COVID-19 infection cases have been increasing rapidly within the EU as some countries dropped their measures too early.

It remains to be seen if these words from the WHO come to pass or as many others feel the time’s right now for the world to start getting back to what it was doing two years ago.

Until the next time Stay Safe and happy Travelling if you are…

Total Cases Worldwide – 480,082,835

Total Deaths Worldwide – 6,143,626

Total Recovered Worldwide – 414,493,135

Total Active Cases Worldwide – 59,446,074 (12.4 % of the total cases)

Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 420,636,761

Information and Resources:

https://www.worldometer.info/coronavirus/