(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) Omi Kron BA.2 caused many countries to confirm the increase in the number of African new crown vaccinations by 15%

  China News Agency, Beijing, March 19. Comprehensive news: According to the latest real-time statistics from WHO, as of 19:33 on March 18, Central European Time, there were 1,931,180 new confirmed cases of the new crown worldwide, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases reached 464,809,377; There were 5,192 new deaths and a total of 6,062,536 deaths.

Americas: U.S. experts predict Omikron BA.2 may cause more infections

  Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with US media on the 18th that he would not be surprised to see the number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia increase or decline in the next few weeks. .

As for whether the epidemic will rebound again, resulting in a small or larger increase in the number of confirmed cases, it is still impossible to predict.

  The number of new coronary pneumonia cases caused by the BA.2 evolutionary branch of the Omikron variant is increasing in the United States. Fauci predicts that the infection cases caused by BA.2 will exceed the Omikron variant BA.1 in the future.

  According to Reuters, Ecuador's president announced on the 18th that he will end the country's new crown epidemic restrictions on public and private gatherings, as Ecuador has achieved a goal of fully vaccinating 85% of the population over the age of five.

Europe: Omicron BA.2 causes increase in confirmed cases in the UK

  Statistics released by the Office for National Statistics on the 18th showed that the number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in most parts of the UK increased in the previous week.

  About 3.3 million people tested positive for the new coronavirus in the week ended March 12, up from 2.6 million the previous week, the data showed.

About 1 in 20 people in England are infected with the new coronavirus, and in Scotland about 1 in 14 people are infected.

The number of hospitalised cases across all age groups in England increased in the week to March 13.

  The ONS said the increase in confirmed cases was mainly due to the spread of the BA.2 clade of the Omicron variant.

Some analysts believe that the recent relaxation of epidemic prevention restrictions in the UK may also be a factor in the rise in the number of confirmed cases.

  The epidemic data released by the German CDC on the 18th showed that the number of newly confirmed cases in the country on that day was 297,845, which is the second consecutive day that Germany has newly confirmed more than 290,000 cases.

As of that day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the country has exceeded 18 million.

  Despite the high number of infections, the German Bundestag passed revised epidemic prevention regulations on the same day, and most of the new crown restrictions nationwide will be lifted.

In the future, basic epidemic prevention measures such as wearing masks and testing will only be applied to high-risk groups and facilities, such as nursing homes and clinics.

Masks are no longer required in schools, retail stores and public indoor spaces.

Masks continue to be mandatory on buses and trains.

  On the 18th local time, the French Higher Health Authority recommended that high-risk groups over the age of 65 in the country (such as those with serious diseases such as kidney failure, diabetes, obesity) receive the second booster shot of the new crown vaccine (the fourth dose of the vaccine). ).

  Earlier, France has opened the second booster dose of the new crown vaccine for people over 80 years old.

  According to Reuters, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on the 18th that countries should provide free nucleic acid tests for new coronary pneumonia to refugees from Ukraine.

For people without vaccination certificates, countries should also provide full-course new crown vaccine and booster vaccination services.

Asia: Thailand's new cases in a single day hit a new high

  Thailand officially announced on the 18th that the country has added 27,071 new confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the past 24 hours, setting a record for single-day confirmed cases; 80 new deaths have been added, the highest this year.

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, recorded 3,252 new confirmed cases, still topping the country, followed by Nakhon Ratchasima and Chonburi.

  Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Prayut hosted a meeting of the New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic Management Center on the same day, and decided to extend the implementation period of the "State of Emergency Law", which expired at the end of this month, to May 31.

This is the 17th time the Thai government has extended the implementation of the Emergency Law since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic.

  The meeting agreed to resume the Songkran Festival (Water Splashing Festival) activities in the Thai New Year, but during the period, people were prohibited from splashing water, powdering, drinking, etc.

As for the dripping ceremony, bathing Buddha, temple activities and other folk activities, they can be held normally, but relevant activities must take epidemic prevention measures and not be held in public places such as roads.

  In addition, the meeting also decided to simplify the procedures for international tourists to enter Thailand.

From April 1st, inbound tourists no longer need to submit a nucleic acid test certificate before entry, but they must take a nucleic acid test on the first day of arrival in Thailand and an antigen test on the fifth day after entry.

Inbound tourists are quarantined for 5 days and must purchase medical insurance with an insured amount of at least $20,000.

  Myanmar's Central Committee for New Crown Prevention and Treatment issued a notice on the evening of the 18th saying that the country's international air travel restrictions have been extended to 23:59 on April 16. International flights are allowed to resume normal operations.

  The notice said that the number of newly confirmed cases of new crown in Myanmar, the confirmed rate and the death rate have dropped significantly.

The resumption of international air travel is to develop Myanmar's tourism industry, facilitate the entry of foreigners and the return of Myanmar people.

Africa: 15% increase in Covid-19 vaccinations in Africa

  On the evening of March 17, local time, the WHO Regional Office for Africa announced that from January to February this year, the number of new crown vaccinations on the African continent increased by 15%.

  In February, 62 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered on the African continent, compared with 54 million in January.

This is largely due to mass vaccination campaigns in populous African countries such as Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria.

  WHO is working with a number of international organizations, including UNICEF, to focus on helping 10 African countries to reach the goal of vaccinating 100 million people by the end of April.

(over)