Chinanews.com, August 10th. The latest statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the United States show that as of 20:34 on August 10, Beijing time, the total number of confirmed cases of new crown worldwide exceeded 19.98 million, and the total number of deaths exceeded 730,000. . Various circles in the United States criticized the authorities for their ineffective anti-epidemic; the global epidemic continues to worsen, with frequent collective infections in many places; some countries have discovered that the new crown virus has mutated; facing the severe situation, many governments are further tightening epidemic prevention measures.

At present, the epidemic situation in the United States continues to worsen. The picture shows pedestrians in Times Square, New York, United States on August 9 local time.

  Disappointed! U.S. authorities approve of ineffective anti-epidemic

  At present, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of the new crown in the United States exceeds 5.04 million, and the cumulative number of deaths exceeds 162,000. The United States generally believes that politicizing the epidemic is a major problem in the US anti-epidemic measures. The “Washington Post” published an article on the 8th that the surge in the number of new crown cases in the United States is entirely due to the “politics first, science second” attitude that prevails within the White House.

  Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also stated on August 9 that since the beginning of the epidemic, the U.S. government has made many mistakes, and there are also shocking problems in virus detection, and exclaimed, "I too We did not expect us to perform so badly."

  Neil Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, recently stated that the current response measures in the United States are not effective and that "stricter lockdown measures" should be implemented nationwide to control the epidemic.

  Kashkari and Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, jointly published an article in the "New York Times" stating that the new crown epidemic has caused more than 160,000 deaths in the United States and about 30 million Americans are unemployed. Relief. The measures taken by the United States to deal with the epidemic so far have not worked, and the need for stricter lockdown measures is obvious.

Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan said that a mass infection occurred in a local high school, and a total of 91 people were diagnosed with the new crown. Image source: Screenshot of NHK report

  alert! Mass infection in multiple countries

  At present, the epidemic is continuing to spread in many countries around the world, and large-scale collective infections continue to occur. The prevention and control situation has raised concerns.

  As of the afternoon of August 10, local time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of the Japanese new crown has exceeded 49,000. A high school in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture was exposed to a mass infection on the 9th. There were 86 students, 2 teachers and 3 in the football club of the school. A total of 91 close contacts were diagnosed, and about 30 related personnel were confirmed to have symptoms such as fever and sore throat.

  In South Korea, as of 0:00 on the 10th local time, the country had a total of 14,626 confirmed cases. The South Korean Central Anti-epidemic Countermeasures Headquarters revealed that a staff member was diagnosed with the new crown in the crowded Namdaemun Market in Seoul a few days ago, and 7 more people were diagnosed in subsequent tests. At present, the local area has issued a reminder that customers who have been to the market recently are required to take the initiative to be tested for viruses.

  On the 8th local time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of Paraguay Covid-19 has increased to 6,705. On the same day, the Ministry of Justice of the country announced that there had been a collective infection of the new crown including 46 prisoners and 14 prison guards in Tacambu prison. The Ministry of Justice and others have launched an investigation and plan to conduct a collective virus screening on prisoners, prison guards and staff.

Data map: Medical staff are testing for the new coronavirus. Photo by China News Agency reporter Han Suyuan

  attention! Has the new coronavirus mutated?

  More worrying than mass infections is that some studies have found that the new coronavirus may mutate.

  Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" reported on the 8th that the latest study by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan found that the new coronavirus that has spread in Japan since June is a mutated new coronavirus with a new genetic sequence.

  Although experts from the institute’s research institute clarified this on the 9th, saying that the relevant report was a false positive and that the new coronavirus strain currently circulating in Japan has only undergone a small amount of base mutation, but coincidentally, cases of virus mutation have also been found in South Korea.

  South Korea’s Central Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters stated on the 10th that 3 cases of virus variants were detected from imported cases of the new crown, of which 2 were from Pakistan and 1 was from Uzbekistan. It is said that the variant detected this time has not yet been reported globally. Zheng Yinjing, head of the Central Anti-epidemic Countermeasures Headquarters, said that whether the infectivity of the variant has changed requires further analysis.

  In fact, Sumia Swaminatan, the chief scientist of the World Health Organization, predicted as early as June 1 that the new coronavirus will mutate because the RNA virus to which the new coronavirus belongs will continue to mutate. But she also said at the time that the evidence available showed that the virus mutation has nothing to do with the transmission capacity.

The German Berlin Tegel Airport was in the cold under the epidemic, and many shops in the commercial area of ​​the terminal have closed. Photo by China News Agency reporter Peng Dawei

 Tighten up! Anti-epidemic measures are not slack

  To prevent the spread of the epidemic, many countries around the world have gradually tightened their epidemic prevention measures again. On the 10th local time, Australia added 19 new crown deaths, a record high in a single day. Australian Prime Minister Morrison said that it is unlikely that the country will lift the border closure measures of the domestic states before Christmas.

  As of the evening of the 9th local time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of the new crown in Germany is approaching 220,000. Among them, the number of new diagnoses in a single day from August 6 to 8 has exceeded 1,000 for three consecutive days. German Federal Minister of Economy and Energy Altmaier said on the 9th that Germany needs more precise epidemic prevention measures and to correct existing problems. He also said that he will do his best to prevent the country from implementing a "closed city" again.

  In Iran, where the epidemic is more serious in the Middle East, more than 326,000 cases have been diagnosed. The head of the Research Center for Emerging and Recurrent Diseases of the Pasteur Institute of Iran said that previous serological surveys of major cities across the country showed that about 20% to 25% of Iran’s population is currently infected with the new crown virus. President Rouhani said on the 9th that the authorities will introduce relevant penalties for people who have not followed the epidemic prevention reminders or patients who have not been quarantined for two weeks as required.