In the face of virus mutation, how can my country strengthen its "foreign import defense"? Can I still travel on New Year's Day? China CDC response →
A new variant of the new coronavirus has recently appeared in the UK
On December 19, the British government confirmed the occurrence of a mutation of the new crown virus.
Starting on the 20th, London and its surrounding areas have been upgraded from the three-level prevention and control level to the highest level four.
Entering winter, what new changes will China's epidemic prevention and control situation face?
New Year's Day is approaching and the Spring Festival is also coming. What impact will the large-scale movement of new personnel have on epidemic prevention and control?
"News 1+1" connects with the headquarter reporter Bai Hua and the deputy director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Feng Zijian to jointly pay attention to the mutation of the new coronavirus.
What information can be confirmed about the mutation of the new coronavirus in the UK?
On the official website of the British Ministry of Health and Social Care, British Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty made a brief statement about the mutated new coronavirus. The first point he admitted was the emergence of a new mutated virus in the UK.
Starting from the southeast of England, it spread rapidly to the UK. As for how fast the spread is, there is no clear explanation.
At present, there is no scientific basis to show that the mutated new coronavirus will have a higher lethality and will affect the effectiveness of the vaccine. These will require time and scientists to further prove.
The UK is actively liaising with the WHO to closely monitor the changes in the UK epidemic in order to take more urgent measures.
The BBC mentioned a data in an article on the morning of the 21st that the British government admitted that the mutated new coronavirus has increased its transmission rate by 70%.
In the latest article of the Financial Times, it was pointed out that “a fact that shows that this variant is more contagious is that after it appeared in Kent on September 20, to the beginning of November, the variant caused 28% of infections; 62% of infections were caused in the week ending December 9."
Some media use "escape from London" to describe the status quo of the British people. Is it true?
The British government will announce the closure of the city. London is an international commuter city. Many people work here and do not live here. The closure of the city means that you cannot return home, so you have to return before the weekend.
The annual traditional holiday Christmas is coming. Everyone is rushing home to reunite with their relatives in a very urgent mood.
The virus mutation just announced has spread very fast, which undoubtedly caused some panic in the people's mind.
As far as I know, nearly 30 countries and regions around the world have stopped air routes with the UK.
The latest news is that the European Union is in urgent consultations, and the French government has stated that it will issue an agreement to resume traffic with the UK as soon as possible.
The transmission rate of mutated new coronavirus has increased by 70%. The data is derived from the model. Is it accurate?
The transmission capacity is indeed enhanced, and the cell area that undergoes mutation at the same time is worrying.
Feng Zijian, deputy director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
This result is indeed deduced by a mathematical model, because there is no way to actually measure it among the population, and can only use models to speculate.
But it also gives us a very important reminder that signs of increased transmission of mutant new coronaviruses can also be seen in the population, and there are some actual data.
For example, in the past seven or eight weeks, the incidence rate in the United Kingdom, especially in the central and southern parts of the country, has increased by about 4 times per week, and the proportion of new mutant strains has also increased significantly. This also confirms the ability of the mutant new coronavirus to spread. Enhanced.
In addition, the mutation found in the virus is mainly in its spike protein. The spike protein is very important because it is a very important part and area when the virus invades the human body and combines with human cells. There are also genetic variants in the receptor binding region (RBD), which is even more worrying.
Mutated new coronavirus: There are currently no signs of improvement in pathogenicity and virus virulence. Whether the vaccine's protective efficacy has any effect remains to be seen and tested.
Feng Zijian, deputy director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The
pathogenicity mainly depends on how many people are infected, how many of them become ill and have symptoms. This ratio can reflect its pathogenicity. Now it seems that the mutated new coronavirus seems to have no signs of causing disease. Sexual improvement.
On the contrary, we have seen another phenomenon. The proportion of asymptomatic infections is increasing. If this is the case, the pathogenicity is decreasing.
In addition, no increase in the virulence of the virus has been seen. The virulence is reflected in the fatality rate or the case fatality rate. At present, there is no increase in the case fatality rate. This is a basic understanding of it.
Is there any cross-protection between the antibodies produced by the current vaccine and the protective and mutant viruses, or does the immunity after previous infections also protect it?
There is no more data in this area, and further observations are needed, and further laboratory tests, including animal experiments, are needed for verification.
The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention is paying close attention to and studying the spreading risk of the mutant new coronavirus, whether it will become a mainstream strain in the future, and how to prevent it.
Feng Zijian, Deputy Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention: The
National Center for Disease Control and
Prevention
is very concerned about the spread and mutation of the virus in the international arena, including changes in transmission characteristics. We pay close attention to all information.
Regarding what happened in the UK, we have been paying close attention to the analysis, disclosure and presentation of the mutated virus by the Public Health Agency and scientific institutions, as well as some important international public health organizations and international professional organizations.
At the same time, for the virus mutation, we also use the international genetic database to conduct some analysis and make some research and judgments, to understand its spread risk, further spread in the world, including whether it will become a mainstream virus strain in the future, including what we can do Measures to take precautions are carefully studied and considered.
At present, my country has not found the import of mutant new coronavirus
Feng Zijian, deputy director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Judging from the virus sequences obtained in China, whether it is imported personnel, goods or cold chain products, viruses obtained from various sources have not been found to have imported mutated viruses in China.
Of course, we will continue to pay close attention to and closely monitor the activity of the virus.
With the emergence of the mutated new coronavirus, how does China strengthen its "foreign import prevention" work?
Feng Zijian
,
deputy director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
On the one hand, we must pay close attention to the spread of mutant viruses in the United Kingdom, Europe, and even the world; on the other hand, we must further examine the current prevention and control measures.
The various measures taken by our country for the past several months to prevent the import of foreign viruses and the prevention of internal rebounds can be very effective in preventing the import of viruses from abroad, especially in response to further transmission caused by imported viruses.
Regarding the mutated virus that emerged in the UK this time, we are conducting research and evaluation in which links and measures should be further strengthened.
With the emergence of the mutant new coronavirus, what needs to be done to prevent frozen chain food overseas?
Feng Zijian, deputy director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Because there have been many recent epidemics caused by the contamination of imported goods and international transportation, we have strengthened many prevention and control measures in this regard, including post-entry quarantine inspections, including products For disinfection, special storage conditions for imported goods are used to protect people who come into contact with imported goods and imported vehicles, and strengthen their nucleic acid testing.
These measures have been strengthened and have produced good results.
How do you view the phenomenon of "environmental transmission"? It is still a case, but prevention should be strengthened.
Feng Zijian, deputy director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Environmental infections may be a very important issue for viruses, but the situation currently found in our country is still a rare case and is a very rare phenomenon.
But in this regard, we should strengthen precautions, especially the management of the feces of the infected, the management of the sewage system, and the implementation of sanitary measures. This is very important.
Can I still travel during the New Year's Day holiday?
can!
But still need to be protected.
Feng Zijian, deputy director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
You can travel because the overall situation in China is very safe.
However, it is still necessary to observe interpersonal distance, wear masks, strengthen personal hygiene, and minimize travel for the elderly and patients with chronic diseases.