Situation Update

On 01 August Myanmar’s de facto leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, declared himself prime minister in announcing a new caretaker government. Hlaing pledged to hold elections in August 2023, after previously announcing in February that elections would be held in February 2022. This announcement comes six months to the day after the military (Tatmadaw) coup against the newly elected civilian government on 01 February after claiming “voter fraud”, an allegation that has not been reliably substantiated. Since the February coup, Myanmar has been plagued by violence and instability. Over 950 people have been killed and over 7000 people have been arrested, including Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior civilian politicians.

Global DEVELOPMENTS

• As of 02 August, England will be open to vaccinated travelers from the USA and Europe, without the need to quarantine. Arrivals who have been fully vaccinated in the USA and European countries will still be required to complete a pre-departure test before arrival into England, alongside a PCR test on or before day 2 after arrival. 
  • Separate rules will continue to apply for those arriving from France.
  • Those vaccinated in the US will also need to provide proof of US residency.
  • Passengers from all countries cannot travel to the UK unless they have completed a passenger locator form.
    
• The US CDC updated its guidance for mask wearing amid the spread of the Delta variant across most of the country. 
  
  • They recommend for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.
  • They added guidance that fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they are immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease from COVID-19, or if they have someone in their household who is immunocompromised, at increased risk of severe disease or not fully vaccinated.

Global DEVELOPMENTS

• Europe has largely reopened to American tourists. The UK is not far behind, with planned lifting of quarantine restrictions on 19 July for those vaccinated through the NHS arriving from "amber list" countries. Fully vaccinated American tourists will be allowed into the UK later in the summer. See below map for breakdown.
• New cases are surging in Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands; however, deaths remain relatively flat, highlighting the power of vaccines in reducing hospitalizations and deaths.
  
• Southeast Asia, which has for the most part managed the pandemic well, is in the midst of a spike in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines may experience shortages of hospital beds and oxygen in the coming weeks. Many countries in the region have imposed new restrictions.
  
• Latin America and southern Africa remain global hotspots for COVID-19 cases and deaths amid presence of variants and low vaccination rates.

UNITED STATES LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Maryland-based Novavax recently announced promising Phase 3 trial results for its protein-based vaccine. The two-dose vaccine has an estimated efficacy of 90.4% based on a study of 30,000 volunteers in the U.S. and Mexico. It expects to seek emergency authorization use later this year. It does not require special refrigeration and could be the key to vaccinating the third world. 
  
• Only Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Michigan have not fully reopened. Michigan and Washington will be open by 1 July while New Mexico and Oregon are waiting for residents to hit key vaccine milestones. 
  
• The U.S. announced it will buy 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for distribution to 100 low-and middle-income countries.

For the latest United States case counts, click here.

UNITED STATES LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• The U.S. CDC announced on 13 May that vaccinated individuals could resume activities that they had stopped doing during the pandemic. Masks are no longer recommended except when flying or taking public transit, when visiting health care facilities, and in congregate settings like prisons and homeless shelters. 
  
• Multiple states in the U.S. changed, or announced they were considering changes to mask mandates. Some private businesses will continue to require masks in their stores, likely until state-by-state vaccination rates meet an internal threshold.
  
• The potential lifting of mask mandates following the new CDC guidance raises questions about vaccination verification. It is likely each state will have a different system in place to deal with proof of vaccination. Some states have banned entities from requiring proof of vaccination. 
  
• There is optimism that being able to stop using a mask will incentivize those vaccine holdouts. Other states have implemented free food schemes, while Ohio took the extraordinary step of holding $1 million lottery once a week for vaccinated individuals in the state, in an effort to get more people vaccinated. 
  
• So far, around 154 million people have received at least one vaccine dose. This will increase as teenagers and adolescents get vaccinated. The CDC recently approved Pfizer's vaccine for use in 12-15 year-old children.

For the latest United States case counts, click here.