#15,996
Although COVID appears - at least for now - to be in retreat across much of Europe, the Americas, and even Southeast Asia, there are regions of the world seeing rising cases and facing the challenge of new variants.
The WHO's latest sitrep indicates both Africa and the Western Pacific regions are currently trending higher. But even in regions where the overall trend is lower, some countries are seeing increased activity.
A month ago all eyes were on India's COVID crisis, but even as their numbers have begun to subside, other countries in the region are seeing escalating cases.
Today the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan issued a strongly worded Health Alert, strongly urging all Americans to leave the country due to the deteriorating conditions brought on by COVID (and a host of other factors).
Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan (June 3, 2021)
Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan (June 3, 2021)
Location: Throughout Afghanistan
Event: New cases and deaths from COVID-19 have risen sharply throughout Afghanistan. Hospitals are reporting shortages of supplies, oxygen, and beds for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related patients. U.S. citizens have reported being denied admittance to hospitals due to lack of space.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice and the Department of State has issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory advising against all travel to Kabul due COVID-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict. Commercial flight options from Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) remain available and the U.S. Embassy strongly suggests that U.S. citizens make plans to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited.
Actions to Take:
Make contingency plans to leave.
Check with the airlines regarding any flight cancellations and/or restrictions on flying.
Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance.
Consult the Afghan Ministry of Health for the latest updates on the health situation in Afghanistan.
Always wear your mask and practice social distancing.
Assistance:
American Citizen Services Unit, U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, Located at Great Massoud Road between Radio Afghanistan and the Ministry of Public Health in Kabul
+93-700-114-000 or +93 -700-108-000 (after hours)
KabulACS@state.gov
The CDC's (recently) revised LEVEL 4 Travel warning to Afghanistan warns that even fully vaccinated individuals may be at risk of `. . . getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Afghanistan.'
While the CDC's COVID forecasts continue to show a decline in cases in the weeks ahead (see below), there are no guarantees how long with trend will last. A few outliers suggest a plateauing of cases, and as new variants gain a foothold, cases could even begin to go up again.
What goes on in places like Afghanistan, or Brazil, or Japan today could have an impact here - or globally - tomorrow. While we continue to make great strides in developed countries getting people vaccinated, globally, only about 1 out of 18 are fully vaccinated.
Which means SARS-CoV-2 has ample opportunities to infect, spread, and potentially evolve into something more problematic for vaccinated countries.
