China News Service, February 18, according to a comprehensive report, according to real-time statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 7:22 on February 18, Beijing time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of the new crown in the United States has exceeded 27.8 million and deaths More than 490,000 cases.

　　At present, the mutated new coronavirus continues to raging in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that it may cause a "rapid increase" in cases across the United States; to prevent and control the epidemic, the authorities plan to allocate more than 1.6 billion U.S. dollars to expand national new crown testing Scale and reagent supply.

On February 16, local time, the mass vaccination station set up at Oakland Stadium, California, was opened to eligible people.

This vaccination station will provide 6000 doses of vaccine every day.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Guanguan

CDC: Mutated virus may cause a surge in cases across the United States

　　On the 16th local time, the CDC released a report showing that at least 1,299 cases of mutant virus infections have been reported across the United States, of which the vast majority (1277) were infected with the B.1.1.7 variant found in the UK.

Currently, this variant has been found in 41 states and Washington, DC.

　　On the 17th local time, the CDC pointed out that the mutated virus first discovered in the UK is likely to become the main strain in the United States in March.

　　What's more serious is that the mutant virus may have spread in the United States.

According to the report, none of the eight patients infected with this mutant virus found in Minnesota had a history of living in the UK.

　　Accordingly, the report pointed out that the identification of these mutant virus infection cases in Mingzhou “highlights the importance of epidemic prevention measures, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, avoiding gathering and poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and isolating confirmed patients and close contacts. , And comply with CDC’s travel guidelines".

　　On the same day, the CDC issued another report saying that the B.1.351 variant, which was first discovered in South Africa, may be rapidly spreading in southern Africa.

According to the researchers, "the spread of this mutant virus raises public health concerns," because it may be more contagious, increasing the number of confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

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　　Although the spread of mutant viruses is worrying, a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine in the United States may be regarded as "good news."

The report, published on the 17th local time, stated that Pfizer’s vaccine is still effective against mutated viruses, including the B.1.351 variant found in South Africa.

　　Up to now, the United States has received about 56 million doses of vaccine, of which over 15 million have completed 2 doses of vaccination.

Data map: The United States under the epidemic.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan

Authorities allocate 1.6 billion US dollars to expand testing

　　Also as an important part of epidemic prevention and control, on the 17th local time, the White House announced that it would allocate more than $1.6 billion to increase the supply of new coronavirus testing reagents and expand testing programs in schools and other places.

　　Johnson, the White House Coordinator for Covid-19 Testing, said at a press conference that day, “We need to conduct extensive and rapid testing to reverse the epidemic. But we still don’t have enough testing capabilities, especially where testing is most needed.”

　　Specifically, the U.S. Department of Health and the Department of Defense will invest $650 million to expand testing in places such as kindergarten to eighth grade schools and homeless shelters.

The Ministry of Health stated that it will establish a regional coordination center to organize the distribution of test supplies and cooperate with laboratories across the country, including universities and commercial laboratories, to conduct tests.

　　In addition, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense will invest 815 million US dollars to increase the production of reagents and raw materials.

　　The White House also pointed out that the CDC will invest another $200 million in its DNA project to help track the mutated new coronavirus in the United States.

CDC plans to increase its sequencing work from 7,000 samples per week to approximately 25,000 samples per week.

Johnson said that this will allow researchers to "detect mutant viruses faster and stop further spread."