The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning Americans against traveling to New Zealand, which has failed in its attempts to eradicate COVID-19. The CDC on March 7 added Hong Kong, Thailand, and New Zealand to the highest-risk category. Americans are told to “avoid travel” to such destinations. If people must travel to one of the countries labeled “very high” risk, they should make sure they’re not only vaccinated, but up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines before traveling. That means that people should have received a booster dose if eligible, to combat the waning effectiveness of vaccines. Brunei, Bhutan, Malaysia, and Vietnam are among the other countries in the highest-risk category. New Zealand was once heralded by many experts for its approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included strict isolation of even small numbers of COVID-19 cases, a widespread vaccination push, and the goal of eradicating …