Last week’s WHO epi update announced a 12 percent week-on-week rise in new cases and in this week’s edition, a further eight percent which was mainly due to ‘substantial increases in the Americas and Western Pacific Regions’. Deaths were reported to have climbed sharply last week, up by 21 percent, with SE Asia and Americas contributing the greatest numbers. In our Western Pacific region, new cases have risen each week for the past month and were up by 25 percent last week - Vietnam experienced a 95 percent increase and Malaysia and the Philippines were also in the top three, while Indonesia is facing numerous challenges as it responds to a wave of new cases. The July 27 WHO epi update also contains a section, ‘Special Focus: Evaluations of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in real-world settings’ which includes a comparison of VE on the Alpha and Delta VoCs among fully vaccinated persons.
In related news:
- Niue has celebrated the success of its vaccination campaign after 97 percent of the eligible population received their second doses earlier this month. Read more
- CIDRAP has published a summary of studies relating to ‘long COVID’ which included findings of ‘203 symptoms involving 10 organ systems, another showing that more than five coronavirus symptoms in the first week of infection portends a long disease course, and one finding few long-haul–like symptoms in children’.
- Last week the US added the UK, Fiji, Indonesia and Zimbabwe to its Level 4: COVID-19 Very High Travel Notices list, and this week also included Spain and Portugal.
- Travel passes are already in use in Europe and hospitality passes are under consideration to allow for more lifting of restrictions, while residents of Chile who are fully vaccinated are now able to travel out of the country by using a ‘mobility pass.
Before you travel, call Travelvax Australia’s telephone advisory service on 1300 360 164 (toll-free from landlines) for country-specific advice and information. You can also make an appointment at your nearest Travelvax clinic to obtain vaccinations, medication to prevent or treat illness, and accessories for your journey.