Chinanews.com, March 22nd. According to statistics released by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 19:43 Beijing time, there were more than 310,000 confirmed cases of new crown pneumonia worldwide. Among them, the number of diagnoses outside China exceeded 230,000, compared with 80,000 a week ago.

The epidemic is still spreading: Spain has nearly 30,000 confirmed cases; the United Kingdom warns that the medical system may be “overwhelmed”; the number of infections in Japan is still growing; discussions about whether the Tokyo Olympics can be held on time are of concern.

European epidemic continues to spread

Spain plans to extend emergency, UK medical system tightens

As of the 22nd, the number of confirmed cases of new crown pneumonia in Spain has increased to 28,572, of which 2,575 were discharged and 1,720 died. In response to the epidemic, the Spanish government decided to extend the previously declared national emergency by 15 days. However, the decision needs to be approved by Parliament.

At the airport in Malaga, Spain, a man is wearing a mask waiting for his flight to take off.

In the UK, more than 5,000 cases of new crown pneumonia have been diagnosed. On the 22nd, British Prime Minister Johnson commented in several newspapers, urging the British to stay at home to curb the spread of the virus. "We are only two to three weeks behind Italy," he said.

"Unless we act together to work to slow the spread of the virus, the national health care system will most likely be as overloaded as Italy," he said.

In Italy, the worst epidemic in Europe, more than 50,000 cases have been confirmed and the death toll has approached 5,000. The country has announced that in order to curb the spread of the epidemic, all non-essential production activities throughout the country should be stopped, and remote office work should be implemented under unnecessary conditions. On May 22, Cremona Mayor Gianluca Galimberti was diagnosed with the infection. Prior to that, many officials in Italy had confirmed the infection.

In addition, the German epidemic is not optimistic. According to media reports, the number of confirmed diagnoses in the country has exceeded 22,000. In response to the epidemic, Germany will pass an additional budget of 150 billion euros on the 23rd, and the city of Berlin will decide to close all restaurants and cafes in the city from the 22nd, and only allow delivery. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a conference call with the governors of the states on the 22nd to discuss whether to implement a foot-ban in Germany.

On the 20th, people waiting for payment at a supermarket in Berlin, Germany, were separated by 1.5 meters from each other. Photo by China Press Agency Peng Dawei

When the new crown pneumonia epidemic continued to spread, the question of whether to wear a mask caused divergence in Europe. In order to support the national isolation policy, a number of Czech cities on the 21st imposed large fines on the first people who did not wear masks during the epidemic. As of the morning of the 22nd, the number of confirmed cases of new crown pneumonia in the Czech Republic has increased to 1,047.

In France, the shortage of masks has caused great concern. To this end, the French Minister of Health said on the 21st that it is ready to order 250 million masks, which is urgent. At present, the epidemic situation in France is increasingly severe, with 14,459 confirmed cases, and the pressure on the medical system is increasing. France is actively seeking outside assistance and is actively helping itself.

Over 26,000 people diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia in the U.S.

Five states issue "home order", about a quarter of the population affected

According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 19:43 on March 22, Beijing time, the number of confirmed cases of new crown pneumonia in the United States has exceeded 26,000. Of the states, the worst is New York State, where more than 12,000 people have been diagnosed and 76 of them have died.

On March 21st local time, the busy 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York, USA is now deserted. Photo by Liao Pan of China News Agency

As the number of new crown cases continues to increase, protective materials for medical institutions across the United States have become scarce, and many medical staff have fallen into a difficult position of "shoulderless." According to the New York Times, dozens of medical personnel across the country have been diagnosed and hundreds of medical personnel have been isolated.

On the other hand, following California, New York, Illinois, and Connecticut, New Jersey, the United States, also issued a "home order," requiring stores to be closed and people stay at home. Reuters said that about a quarter of the American population is now under a "home order."

At the same time, Republicans and Democrats in Washington are negotiating an economic stimulus plan to deal with the impact of the epidemic, or it will inject more than $ 1 trillion into the US economy. Senate Republican leader McConnell said he believes the two sides are expected to reach an agreement.

Earlier this month, US President Trump has signed a $ 8.3 billion bill to help agencies such as the CDC fight the epidemic, support vaccine research and development, and distribute medical supplies. On the 18th, Trump also signed a package of rescue plans to support emergency paid leave and free testing for New Crown virus.

Can the Tokyo Olympics be held on schedule?

Thailand, Malaysia collectively infected, multi-country escalation prevention and control measures

According to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK), according to data from the local government and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as of 22:00 local time on the 22nd local time, a total of 1,101 cases of new coronary pneumonia have been diagnosed in Japan, including 14 returning to Japan by charter flight People, 41 died.

On March 19th local time, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics flame transfer ceremony took place at the Panasinaiko Stadium in Athens.

On the same day, Reuters quoted two people familiar with the matter as saying that the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics have begun planning to delay the hosting of the Olympic Games; the Japanese government's position on the Tokyo Olympics is still "unwilling to postpone."

Earlier, IOC President Bach said in an interview that the idea of ​​postponing the Tokyo Olympics at this stage is not mature enough, but at the same time the IOC is exploring different options. On the 21st, Japan's Olympic Organizing Committee Vice Chairman Toshiaki Endo stated that it has not yet reached the stage of deciding to cancel or postpone the Olympic Games, and will continue to prepare for July.

In South Korea, as of 0:00 on the 22nd local time, the cumulative number of newly diagnosed cases of new crown pneumonia in South Korea reached 8,997, with 98 new cases in 24 hours, and a significant increase in imported cases abroad. From that day, South Korea requires all people entering from Europe to be tested for the new crown pneumonia virus.

In Thailand and Malaysia, there are worrying collective infections. Thailand newly reported 188 new cases of new crown pneumonia on the 22nd, most of which are related to a Thai boxing match held in Bangkok. Currently, Thailand has confirmed a total of 599 new cases of new pneumonia.

On March 18th local time, the Golden Buddha Temple in Bangkok, Thailand was cleaned up, and volunteers used disinfectants to clean up the ground.

The Malaysian Ministry of Health informed on the same day that there were 123 new cases of confirmed new pneumonia in the country, of which 34 were related to a previous religious gathering. At present, a total of 1306 confirmed cases of new crown pneumonia in Malaysia have been recorded, of which 10 people have died.

On the 22nd, the Uzbekistan government issued a message saying that "from 00:00 on March 23, except at the departure of foreign citizens, border ports will be closed to all people." At the same time, Kyrgyzstan declared a state of emergency and became a state of emergency. The second Central Asian country to enter a state of emergency after Kazakhstan.

More than 21,000 confirmed diagnoses in Iran

More than 1,100 confirmed cases in more than 40 countries in Africa

In the Middle East, Iran is still most affected by the epidemic. According to the Associated Press on the 22nd, Iran said that the total number of confirmed cases of new crown pneumonia in the country increased to 21,638, and 1,685 people died.

At this time during the Persian New Year holiday, Iranian President Rouhani made a speech and continued to call on the public not to go out and reduce social activities. Rouhani said the measure would last two to three weeks.

Faced with the "internal worry" of an increase in the number of confirmed cases, Iran's "external problems" are equally disturbing. Due to the shortage of emergency anti-epidemic materials, Iran's Foreign Ministry has repeatedly called on the United States to lift sanctions against Iran. In addition, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said, "U.S. illegal sanctions have exhausted Iran's economic resources and weakened Iran's ability to fight the epidemic."

Kuwait has confirmed a total of 176 cases. The country began to implement a curfew on the 22nd and extended the mandatory home office period of the government and private companies to April 12. The number of Lebanese confirmed cases rose to 230. To prevent the epidemic from spreading, Lebanese security forces will intervene Coercive measures were taken to prevent residents from going out and gathering; the number of confirmed cases in Israel increased to 945, with the first death.

In Africa, with Uganda, Eritrea and Angola reporting the first confirmed cases of new crown pneumonia, there are currently more than 40 countries in Africa with new crown pneumonia outbreaks. According to the African CDC, the total number of cases in Africa has now exceeded 1,100. To strengthen the epidemic prevention and control, many governments have upgraded their epidemic prevention measures, including closing border ports and prohibiting public gathering. (Finish)