As Covid Rules Relax, The Virus Surges Globally
Even as covid restrictions ease around the world, enabling unvaccinated U.S. travelers to enter France for example, covid rates are seen to tick upwards in many places. And White House officials have signaled concern over a "mass" migration event that could be triggered on the Mexican border.
Axios:
Biden Officials Fear "Mass Migration Event" If COVID Border Policies End
U.S. intelligence officials are privately bracing for a massive influx of more than 170,000 migrants at the Mexico border if COVID-era policies that allow instant expulsions during the public health emergency are ended, sources with direct knowledge of the discussions tell Axios. The response under way includes a newly created — and previously unreported — "Southwest Border Coordination Center (SBCC)," essentially a war room to coordinate an interagency response. (Swan and Kight, 3/17)
The Washington Post:
Unvaccinated Americans Can Travel To France Under Eased Travel Restrictions
France has moved the United States to a lower-risk category in its international travel restrictions, making entry significantly easier for Americans who are not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The European country added the United States to its “green” list, which indicates “negligible or moderate circulation of the virus, in the absence of emerging variants of concern,” according to the Ministry of Interior. (Diller, 3/16)
AP:
Canada To Drop COVID Tests For Vaccinated Visitors: Official
Canada will no longer require a pre-arrival COVID-19 test for vaccinated travelers as of April 1. A senior government official confirmed the change Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to speak publicly ahead of the announcement this week. (Gillies, 3/16)
Covid cases are rising around the world —
Reuters:
WHO Says Global Rise In COVID Cases Is 'Tip Of The Iceberg'
Figures showing a global rise in COVID-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the WHO said on Tuesday, warning nations to remain vigilant against the virus. After more than a month of decline, COVID cases started to increase around the world last week, the WHO said, with lockdowns in Asia and China's Jilin province battling to contain an outbreak. (Rigby and Mishra, 3/17)
Bloomberg:
Germany’s Covid Cases Hit Record With Curbs Poised To Expire
Germany registered a record number of new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, propelling the infection rate to a new high for the sixth straight day and raising alarm ahead of plans to lift almost all remaining curbs this weekend. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to hold talks with regional leaders on pandemic strategy later on Thursday, with Russia’s war on Ukraine also on the agenda. While there is little appetite to reimpose nationwide restrictions as long as hospitalization rates remain in check, some of the 16 state premiers are unhappy with the rapid pace of unwinding. The lower house of parliament is due to approve the legislation loosening measures on Friday. (Rogers, 3/17)
Bloomberg:
How South Korea Is Beating Covid Despite 600,000 New Cases A Day
South Korea has reached two seemingly contradictory pandemic milestones: It recorded more than 600,000 new Covid-19 infections on Thursday, the most of anywhere in the world. At the same time, the country has one of the lowest virus death rates globally. While anywhere else an infection surge of this size would signal an out-of-control outbreak soon to be followed by a spike in fatalities, in South Korea -- which is about the size of Indiana -- the picture is more complex. (Cha, 3/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
New Covid Wave In China Hits Sellers Of ‘Quarantine Insurance’
In a country where one person inadvertently crossing paths with a Covid-19 patient can instantly put an entire apartment complex under lockdown for 14 days or more, Chinese insurers last year began offering what they called “quarantine insurance”—get locked down, receive a payout. Now, as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads rapidly across the country, overwhelmed insurers are pulling the plug on the products. (Cheng, 3/16)
In other global developments —
Reuters:
Britain Approves AstraZeneca's Antibody-Based COVID Therapy
Britain's medicines regulator has approved AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) antibody-based COVID-19 treatment for adults with poor immune response, marking a major step in the fight against the pandemic as infections surge globally amid spread of the Omicron variant. The decision to grant approval for the treatment was endorsed by the government's independent scientific advisory body after reviewing the evidence, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Thursday. (3/17)
Bloomberg:
Medicago Covid Shot Faces WHO Rejection Over Company’s Tobacco Links
Medicago Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine is poised to become the first western shot to be rejected by the World Health Organization, because of the company’s links to cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc. The Canadian biopharma company’s request for pre-qualification of its Covifenz shot was not accepted, according to the WHO’s guidance document dated March 2. That means the WHO is unlikely to approve the vaccine for emergency use, which would also keep it out of the Covax global vaccine-sharing facility. (Gretler, 3/16)
Axios:
WHO Chief: Ethiopia's Tigray Facing "Catastrophic" Health Crisis
The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday warned of the increasingly dire and "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia's Tigray region, saying, "There is nowhere on Earth where the health of millions of people is more under threat." As world leaders focus on Russia's war in Ukraine and the growing refugee crisis in Europe, UN bodies and humanitarian groups are urging nations to not forget other crises around the globe. Fighting broke out in Ethiopia's Tigray region in November 2020. Since then, the war between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and Ethiopian forces and their Eritrean allies has escalated, leading to what the UN has described as a de facto aid blockade on Tigray. The conflict has also spilled over into neighboring regions. (Gottbrath, 3/16)