Risk Assessment Report – 21 December 2020
Risk Assessment Report – 21 December 2020
Rapid Risk Assessment
December 21, 2020
Risk Assessment Report – 21 December 2020
Time Period Covered December 21, 2020 - December 21, 2020
- Worldwide, there have been over 76.6 million cases and more than 1.70 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.
- Thailand reported more than 500 COVID-19 cases among migrant workers at the center of its seafood industry on Saturday (December 19), by far the biggest one-day rise. The outbreak appeared in Samut Sakhon province, southwest of Bangkok, where four infections were reported at a shrimp market on Friday. The first case was a 67-year-old woman who was a vendor at the market. On Sunday (December 20), an official said that Thailand plans to test more than 10,000 people after a record daily surge. By Wednesday (December 23), the authorities aim to conduct 10,300 tests in the southwest province of Samut Sakhon, where the outbreak appeared, and nearby provinces like Samut Songkhram and Nakhon Pathom.
- Myanmar’s Mandalay Region government announced the end of stay-at-home orders on December 18. However, it urged the public to continue to follow its COVID-10 prevention measures.
- The seven-day rolling average number of daily new cases in South Korea is 961 as of December 18, an all-time high, and significantly above 114 on November 1, when the infection rate began to rise. The test positivity rate has reached 2.8% as of December 18, in comparison to less than 1% on November 1, and represents a growing epidemic. In October, national restrictions were placed at the lowest level, and travel coupons were distributed to citizens to stimulate the economy. Nearly three-quarters of recent incident cases have been attributed to Seoul alone. Over the past seven days, the highest number of cases per 100,000 population are being reported in Seoul (3.3), Gyeonggi-do (2.4), and Incheon (1.7), while over half-adozen regions or large cities are reporting less than one case per 100,000 in the same period, on average. Reports suggest that over 90% of recent cases are linked to community transmission, and only a small proportion are imported. Under government guidelines, the current infection rate should result in raising the national social distancing level from 2.5 to 3 (the highest of the five-tier system), although senior government officials have expressed hesitancy to increase restrictions, fearing negative effects on the economy. Level 3 restrictions would require most non-essential workers to work from home, and restrict gatherings to a maximum of 10 people. Under current restrictions, gatherings of more than 50 people are banned, high-risk entertainment facilities that cannot ensure social distancing remain closed, and indoor dining is not allowed in restaurants after 9 p.m. As of December 22, all schools are required to shift to remote learning, indefinitely. In Seoul, media sources report that ICU beds designated for COVID-19 patients are at near capacity. In response to rising cases, the greater Seoul area has recently instituted free testing available to the public across 150 temporary sites
Risk Assessment Report – 21 December 2020