Chinanews.com, February 28. Recently, the number of newly diagnosed patients with new crown pneumonia has continued to rise in many countries around the world, and many domestically transmitted cases have occurred in South Korea, Japan, Italy and other countries. In order to prevent the epidemic from further spreading, various countries have introduced measures to prevent the epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that it is currently at a critical moment in the global epidemic, as long as the correct measures can be taken to prevent and control the epidemic.
Data map: Tan Desai, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Photo by China Press Agency Peng Dawei
New crown pneumonia cases continue to rise in many countries
In recent days, the number of new crown pneumonia infections worldwide has continued to rise, with the first confirmed cases in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Lithuania, Nigeria and other countries. On the 27th, World Health Organization Director-General Tan Desai said that the number of new cases of new coronary pneumonia reported outside China on the 25th and 26th consecutive days exceeded the number of new cases in China.
South Korea has broken through a hundred new cases in a few days. As of 9:00 on the 28th local time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the country has reached 2022. The cumulative number of cases in Japan also reached 919 on the evening of the 27th, of which 705 were passengers and flight attendants of the "Princess Diamond" cruise.
In the Middle East, cumulative cases in Iran reached 270 in the evening of the 27th, of which 26 died. Earlier, many Iranian officials were also confirmed to be infected with new coronary pneumonia.
In Europe, the number of infections has risen since three confirmed cases on February 21. As of the evening of the 27th, a total of 655 cases have been confirmed in the country. At the same time, the number of confirmed cases in Germany has also surged in recent days. In the past three days, 32 new cases have been confirmed in Germany. As of the 27th, the cumulative number of cases reached 48.
In addition, the first confirmed case of an unknown source of infection appeared in the United States on the 26th. Authorities are concerned about the "community spread" of new coronary pneumonia in the United States. Brazil also reported the country's first confirmed case on the 27th, demonstrating that the virus has spread in Latin America.
Data map: Japan's "Diamond Princess" cruise.
Closed towns, suspension of classes ... countries strengthen their epidemic prevention measures
On February 27, Tan Desai said, "The new crown virus does not adhere to national borders, does not distinguish between races, and has nothing to do with a country's GDP or development level." In the face of a menacing epidemic, many countries around the world have announced measures recently.
Among them, in Japan, South Korea and Iran, where the epidemic is relatively severe, the authorities have issued notices of suspension or delay of schooling.
South Korea has suspended rally activities in some areas. The Japanese government also announced that it plans to include the new crown virus nucleic acid test into the scope of medical insurance coverage to expand its testing capabilities. According to foreign media reports, due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, Tokyo Disneyland will be closed for two weeks.
In Iran, the department responsible for industrial production has ordered the mass production of disinfectants. The factories producing masks across Iran are fully operational. To cope with problems such as insufficient medical resources, Iran is planning to build additional medical centers. In addition, all sports events in the country are closed and cinemas are closed.
Italy, which is at the epicenter of Europe, also sounded the alarm. Italian authorities have taken "the toughest" defensive measures in history on February 23, closing off 11 towns in the country. Germany, which has experienced a surge in cases, has implemented strict traffic control and has launched epidemic prevention at major domestic events.
At the same time, many countries in the Americas have also "strickenly waited." On February 26, U.S. President Donald Trump called for the establishment of a prevention and control group, and the two parties also hoped to increase emergency epidemic prevention funds beyond the $ 2.5 billion spending plan. Canadian authorities are also working on a new epidemic prevention plan, including the removal of major public events and school suspensions.
On the evening of February 26 local time, US President Trump held a press conference at the White House and announced that Vice President Pence will lead the US government's response to the new crown pneumonia epidemic. Photo by China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong
Expert: There are many places where the virus is unknown
At present, the world is stepping up efforts to overcome the new coronavirus, but there are still many unsolved problems.
Experts warn that there are many unknowns about the virus, including how long it can survive on the surface of objects.
Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is investigating this. "On copper and steel, (viruses) live for about two hours. But on cardboard or plastic, it will take longer." . "
Facing the spread of the epidemic in Japan, Daisuke Tamura, associate professor of child infectious diseases at the Japan Autonomous Medical University, said that mildly infected people may be one of the reasons for the spread of the epidemic, and he called on the public not to contact people to increase the chance of infection.
At the same time, many countries around the world are increasingly worried that the new crown pneumonia epidemic will become a "pandemic" disease. US National Institutes of Health (NIH) infectious disease expert Fuchs said on the 26th that with the spread of communities in some countries except China, "we are getting closer to the global pandemic standard, that is, infectious diseases appear interpersonal globally. Spread. "
However, WHO has previously stated that new coronary pneumonia still does not constitute a "pandemic" worldwide.
Data Map: In the early morning of February 20, South Korea's new consul general in Wuhan, Jiang Chengxi, arrived at Wuhan Tianhe Airport by cargo plane. Jiang Chengxi said that South Korea is willing to work with China to work together and firmly believe that China will win the fight against the epidemic. Photo by Zhang Chang from China News Agency
New crown pneumonia epidemic should be prevented and controlled worldwide
As the number of diagnoses continues to rise in many countries around the world, Tan Desai pointed out on the 27th that it is now at a critical moment in the global epidemic. China's experience in epidemic prevention and control shows that as long as correct measures are taken, the epidemic can be controlled. Call on nations to respond together.
He emphasized that every country needs to be prepared to detect cases early, isolate patients, track contacts, provide quality clinical care, and prevent outbreaks in hospitals and communities. WHO has sent virus detection tools to 57 countries and trained health workers online.
In addition, in response to current measures to implement travel restrictions in some countries, the World Health Organization and the World Tourism Organization issued a joint statement on the 27th, saying that excessive travel restrictions may cause unnecessary interference in international traffic, including negative effects on the tourism industry.
The statement also stated that the tourism industry's response measures should be prudent and consistent, corresponding to public health threats and based on local risk assessments, covering every link of the tourism value chain (including public institutions, private companies and tourists). WHO's general guidance and recommendations.