CDC: Greater than half of all locations stay at ‘excessive’ Covid danger
(CNN) — The US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention didn’t add any new locations to its record of countries and territories with a “excessive” danger of Covid-19 on Monday.
Nevertheless, areas at “excessive” danger — designated as Stage 3 — nonetheless account for nearly 130 of the roughly 235 locations monitored by the CDC.
That is greater than half of all locations on the CDC web site, and a few of these locations are among the many hottest for vacationers around the globe.
Just one nation, the sparsely populated desert nation of Namibia, dropped out of Stage 3 to a decrease danger score this week.
The designation applies to locations which have had greater than 100 circumstances per 100,000 residents up to now 28 days. Stage 2 and Stage 1 are thought of “reasonable” and “low” danger, respectively.
Comparatively few locations on the earth are at present in Ranges 2 or 1.
Stage 4, beforehand the best danger class, is now reserved just for particular circumstances, corresponding to extraordinarily excessive case counts, emergence of a brand new variant of concern or well being care infrastructure collapse. Underneath the brand new system, no locations have been positioned at Stage 4 to this point.
“Unknown” is for locations from which the CDC did not obtain sufficient date to make an evaluation.
Extra on Stage 3
The bridges and canals of Amsterdam are a favourite of vacationers to the Netherlands, which is lodged at Stage 3 together with a lot of Europe.
Yasonya/Adobe Inventory
A lot of Europe has been stubbornly lodged at Stage 3 for months with the summer season journey season now beginning to wind down. The next in style European locations have been amongst these remaining at Stage 3 as of August 22:
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Eire
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Spain
• United Kingdom
These aren’t the one high-profile spots that discover themselves at Stage 3. Quite a few different locations around the globe are amongst these within the “excessive” danger class, together with the next:
• Brazil
• Canada
• Costa Rica
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• South Korea
• Thailand
• Turkey
And Stage 3 is not restricted to heavy hitters. Working example: Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a self-governing archipelagic territory of France located off the southern coast of Newfoundland in Canada, and the French island division Réunion within the Indian Ocean, are additionally on this class.
Stage 2
A fantastic sundown highlights the dunes of the Namib desert at Sossusvlei, Namibia. The Southwest African nation moved all the way down to Stage 2 this week.
Iuliia Sokolovska/Adobe Inventory
Locations carrying the “Stage 2: Covid-19 Reasonable” designation reported 50 to 100 Covid-19 circumstances per 100,000 residents up to now 28 days.
The CDC added two locations to Stage 2 on Monday:
• Cuba
• Namibia
The transfer was dangerous information for Cuba, which had been at Stage 1. Namibia dropped down from Stage 3.
There are solely 19 locations listed at Stage 2 this week. A few of the more-visited locations on this class are India, Kenya and South Africa.
Stage 1
To be listed as “Stage 1: Covid-19 Low,” a vacation spot should have had 49 or fewer new circumstances per 100,000 residents over the previous 28 days. Just one new place was added to the class on August 22: Saudi Arabia, which had been at Stage 2.
Simply 22 locations have been within the “low” danger class this week. Just a few of the extra in style locations with world vacationers within the “low” danger class this week included Egypt and Tanzania.
Unknown
Lastly, there are the locations the CDC has deemed to be of “unknown” danger due to a lack of understanding. Normally, however not all the time, these are small, distant locations or locations with ongoing warfare or unrest.
One new vacation spot was added this week: The small West African nation of Benin, which had been at Stage 1.
The CDC advises in opposition to journey to those locations exactly as a result of the dangers are unknown. Different locations on this class that sometimes draw extra vacationer consideration embody Hungary, the Maldives and Vietnam.
There are nearly 70 locations listed as “unknown” this week, making up nearly one-third of all of the locations monitored.
A medical knowledgeable weighs in on danger ranges
Transmission charges are simply “one guidepost” for vacationers’ private danger calculations, based on CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen.
We have moved into “a part within the pandemic the place folks must make their very own choices based mostly on their medical circumstances in addition to their danger tolerance in relation to contracting Covid-19,” mentioned Wen, who’s an emergency doctor and professor of well being coverage and administration on the George Washington College Milken Institute Faculty of Public Well being.
There are different components to weigh along with transmission charges, based on Wen.
“One other is what precautions are required and adopted within the place that you are going after which the third is what are you planning on doing when you’re there,” she mentioned.
“Are you planning to go to a variety of sights and go to indoor bars? That is very totally different from you are going someplace the place you are planning to lie on the seashore all day and never work together with anybody else. That is very totally different. These are very totally different ranges of danger.”
Vaccination is probably the most important security issue for journey, since unvaccinated vacationers usually tend to turn out to be ailing and transmit Covid-19 to others, Wen mentioned.
And it is also vital to contemplate what you’d do if you find yourself testing optimistic away from house.
High picture: Moored boats dot the seafront in Buzios, a resort city not removed from Rio de Janeiro. (Ekaterina Belova/Adobe Inventory)