CDC: More than half of destinations are at ‘high’ risk of Covid

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(CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday added no new destinations to its list of nations and states at “high” risk for Covid-19.

However, areas at “high” risk — designated Level 3 — still account for about 130 of the 235 areas monitored by the CDC.

That’s more than half of the places on the CDC site, and some of these destinations are among the most popular for tourists around the world.

Only one country, the sparsely populated desert country of Namibia, was released this week from the low level of threat level 3.

The designation applies to areas with more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. Level 2 and Level 1 are considered “medium” and “low” risk, respectively.

Currently, relatively few places in the world are in Level 2 or 1.

Level 4, formerly a high-risk category, is now reserved for exceptional circumstances, such as extreme cases, a new strain of stress, or a breakdown in healthcare infrastructure. Under the new system, no destinations have yet been placed at Level 4.

“Unknown” is for sites where CDC has not received sufficient dates for review.

More on step 3

Amsterdam’s bridges and canals are popular with Dutch tourists, ranking 3rd with most of Europe.

Yasonya/Adobe stock

Much of Europe has been on lockdown for months as the summer travel season begins to wind down. Among those remaining in Tier 3 as of August 22 are the following popular European destinations.

• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Spain
• united kingdom

Those aren’t the only high-profile spots that find themselves at Level 3. Several other destinations around the world are among those in the “high” risk category.

• Brazil
• Canada
• Costa Rica
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• South Korea
• Thailand
• Turkey

And level 3 isn’t limited to heavy hitters. Case in point: Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a French archipelago off the southern coast of Newfoundland in Canada, and Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, are in this category.

The CDC recommends that you be up to date with your Covid-19 vaccinations before traveling to a Tier 3 destination. Being “up-to-date” means you’ve gotten the boosters you’re eligible for, not just the full primary immunizations.

Step 2

A beautiful sunset shows the craters of the Namib desert in Sossusvlei, Namibia. The South West African country dropped to No. 2 this week.

Iuliia Sokolovska/Adobe Stock

Destinations labeled “Level 2: Moderate Covid-19” have reported between 50 and 100 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.

The CDC added two destinations to Tier 2 on Monday:

• Cuba
• Namibia

The move was bad news for Tier 1 Cuba. Namibia dropped from 3rd place.

There are only 19 spots listed in Level 2 this week. Among the most visited places in this category are India, Kenya and South Africa.

In its extensive travel guidance, the CDC recommends being up-to-date with your vaccinations before traveling internationally.

Step 1

To be listed as “Level 1: Low Covid-19”, a destination must have 49 or fewer new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. Only one new location was added to the category on August 22nd: Saudi ArabiaIt was at level 2.

Only 22 locations were in the “low” risk category this week. Some of the most popular destinations for world travelers in the “low” risk category this week include Egypt and Tanzania.

Unknown

Finally, there are destinations that the CDC has deemed to have “unknown” risk due to a lack of data. Often, but not always, these are small, remote areas or areas of ongoing war or unrest.

A new destination has been added this week: the smallest West African country BeninIt was at level 1.

The CDC advises against traveling to these areas because the risks are unknown. Other destinations of this category that usually attract more tourist attention They include Hungary, Maldives and Vietnam.

About 70 locations were listed as “unknown” this week, nearly a third of the locations monitored.

A medical professional weighs in on the risk levels

CNN medical analyst Dr. Leanna Wen said transfer pricing is only “a guideline” for travelers’ personal risk calculations.

“We’ve entered the stage of the epidemic where people have to make their own decisions based on their medical conditions and their exposure to contracting Covid-19,” said Wen, an emergency physician and professor. in Health Policy and Management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

According to Wen, there are other factors to consider besides distribution size.

“The other thing is to be careful and follow where you’re going and then the third is what you plan to do if you’re there,” she said.

“Are you planning to visit a lot of attractions and go to local bars? That’s very different from going somewhere where you plan to lie on the beach all day and not interact with anyone. That’s very different. Very different levels of risk.”

Vaccination is the most important safety issue for travel, Wen said, because unvaccinated travelers are more likely to get sick and spread Covid-19 to others.

And it’s important to consider what to do if you test positive away from home.

While travelers to the U.S. do not have to present a negative COVID-19 test to return home from international destinations, the CDC still recommends testing before boarding flights to the U.S. and traveling if you are sick.

“Obviously, people should get tested if they have symptoms or exposure while traveling, and if they test positive, they should follow the CDC’s isolation guidelines,” Wen recently told CNN Travel.

If you’re concerned about a travel-related health condition unrelated to Covid-19, check here.

Top Image: Moored boats line the coast of Buzios, a resort town not far from Rio de Janeiro. (Ekaterina Belova/Adobe Stock)

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