United Arab Emirates, Ireland and Saudi Arabia are the three most Covid-19 resilient destinations, according to a February study. Photo / Pexels
The borders are open to Kiwis but the question is; where shall we travel?
Or, more specifically, what destinations are ‘safe’ when it comes to catching or navigating Covid-19?
Bloomberg has asked that very question since November 2020 in a monthly Covid Resilience Ranking.
Each month 53 of the world’s largest economies are ranked according to 11 data indicators to see what places have contained the virus with the least social or economic disruption.
Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking uses data such as quality of healthcare, vaccination coverage, virus containment, overall mortality and the number of ‘travel routes’ in and outbound.
It may not be possible to exactly calculate the risk of any given destination but for travellers wondering where to start, knowing what places have managed the pandemic well is a good start.
United Arab Emirates
As of February, United Arab Emirates remained top of the 53 places and scored the highest for vaccine doses administered.
For every 100 people, 259 doses had been administered, averaging 2.6 doses per person.
Alongside low case counts the last month and limited mortality, UAE also had a high number of travel routes in and outbound for vaccinated travellers.
At the time of writing, their MFAT Safe Travel advisory is level 2 Exercise increased caution.
Ireland
In second place is Ireland, which moved up eight spots in Bloomberg’s ranking since January. The country recently removed all COVID-19-related travel restrictions, allowing visitors to come to the country without any testing or quarantine measures in place.
As a result, they have one of the lower lockdown severity scores of 23/100.
At the time of writing, their MFAT Safe Travel advisory is level 2 Exercise increased caution.
Australia
After the two-year travel ban was lifted and omicron cases fell from their peak, Australia flew up 42 places last month, to spot number 5. According to Australia’s Department of Health, 94.7% of people aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated while Our World in Data reports 60.77% have had their booster.
At the time of writing, their MFAT Safe Travel advisory is level 2 Exercise increased caution.
Spain
Those wanting a winter escape to a sunny destination should consider Spain, which ranks sixth with 84.1% of the population fully vaccinated, and 50.9% have had a booster. They also have one of the most travel routes for vaccinated travellers, 412.
At the time of writing, their MFAT Safe Travel advisory is level 2 Exercise increased caution.
UK
After rising three places last month, the UK is in ninth, with 85.5 per cent of the population aged over 12 fully vaccinated and 66.9 per cent boosted.
Ireland’s lockdown severity score of 42 may be higher than Ireland (23), Norway (25) and Portugal (14), but is still comparatively low to Canada (69), or France (64), where many restrictions are still in place.
At the time of writing, their MFAT Safe Travel advisory is level 2 Exercise increased caution.
Portugal
Rounding out the top 10, Portugal has one of the highest vaccination rates, with 91.4% fully vaccinated and 60.3% boosted.
Its lockdown severity score of 14 is also one of the lowest, and fully-vaccinated travellers no longer need a pre-departure test to visit. However, they have the lowest number of travel routes for vaccinated travellers, 230.
At the time of writing, MFAT Safe Travel has not yet provided an advisory.
Worst places for ‘Covid Resilience’
At the bottom of the list is Pakistan, due to low vaccination rates, severe restrictions and insufficient healthcare.
One spot up is Hong Kong as they battle a record outbreak, followed by Russia in 51st, which is also facing a surge in cases.
Countries with the highest ‘Covid resilience’ score as of February
1.UAE ( 76.2% )
2.Ireland ( 75.5% )
3.Saudi Arabia ( 74.1%)
4.Norway ( 72.8% )
5.Australia ( 71.7% )
6.Spain ( 69.2% )
7.Finland ( 67.9% )
8.Colombia ( 66.8% )
9.UK ( 66.8% )
10.Portugal ( 66%)
The latest Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking uses data as of February 23, 2022.
