(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) The conflict between Russia and Ukraine may lead to the further spread of the new crown. Brazil ranks second in the world in cumulative deaths

　　China News Agency, Beijing, March 3. Comprehensive news: The latest data from the World Health Organization website shows that as of 17:11 CET on March 2, the number of confirmed new crown cases in the world increased by 1,544,646 compared with the previous day, with a total of 437,333,859 cases; The number of deaths increased by 7,754, bringing the total to 5,960,972.

　　The World Health Organization warned on March 2 that the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict could lead to further spread of the new coronavirus, raising the risk of a significant increase in severe cases of the new coronavirus.

　　WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on the same day that before the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the number of new crown cases in Ukraine had been surging.

Since the conflict began, low testing rates for Covid-19 in the region have suggested that there may be a large number of undetected cases of transmission.

Coupled with the low local vaccination coverage, a large number of new crown infected people are at increased risk of developing severe disease.

Data map: People wear masks in a coffee shop in Queens, New York City, USA.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan

Americas: Brazil has the second highest death toll in the world

　　On March 2, local time, according to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 16:21 ET on the same day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the United States reached 79,127,541, and the cumulative number of deaths was 954,075.

Compared with the two data 24 hours ago, there were 52,426 new confirmed cases and 1,851 new deaths.

　　According to data released by the Brazilian Ministry of Health on March 2, local time, there were 30,995 new confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in Brazil that day, with a total of 28,842,160 confirmed cases; 370 new deaths, and a total of 650,000 deaths.

　　So far, Brazil has the third-highest cumulative number of confirmed cases in the world, after the United States and India; the cumulative number of deaths ranks second in the world after the United States.

　　Rio de Janeiro City Health Director Daniel Soranz said on March 2 that due to the recent slowdown in the epidemic, the city plans to relax epidemic prevention measures again on March 7, allowing people to wear masks anywhere outdoors.

On October 28 last year, the city lifted the "mandatory mask order", allowing people not to wear masks in outdoor activities, but still required to wear them in public places.

　　However, some Brazilian experts believe that it is currently the Brazilian Carnival holiday. Although many regions have cancelled official celebrations, private parties and spontaneous carnival parades have become common everywhere.

After the carnival holiday, the number of confirmed cases and deaths of new coronary pneumonia in Brazil may rise sharply.

　　On March 2, local time, all schools in Chile fully resumed on-site teaching.

Chilean President Piñera delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of an elementary school in the capital Santiago on the same day, congratulating the students that they can return to the classroom after nearly two years of quarantine measures against the new crown epidemic.

　　He pointed out that Chile's up to 90% of the new crown vaccination rate and nearly 90% of adolescents have completed the relevant vaccinations, which provides a guarantee for students to return to school.

Europe: Germany removes all countries and territories from high-risk list of new crowns

　　According to the epidemic data released by the German CDC on the 2nd, as of that day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new coronavirus infection in the country has exceeded 15 million.

At the same time, Germany has announced that all countries and regions will be removed from the high-risk list of the new crown, which will take effect at 0:00 on the 3rd.

This means that the non-essential travel warning associated with this will expire at the same time, making it easier to enter Germany.

　　According to the Greek "China-Greece Times" report, the Greek new crown virus expert committee held a meeting on March 2 and decided to approve the cancellation of the mandatory use of masks outdoors.

It is understood that the relaxation measures may take effect as early as March 5, local time.

But experts strongly recommend the continued use of masks in crowded areas, especially those with risk factors for serious illness and those who have not been vaccinated.

Asia: South Korean PM tests positive for COVID-19 rapid antigen test

　　The Prime Minister's Office of South Korea said on March 3 that South Korean Prime Minister Kim Buk-gyeom tested positive for the new coronavirus rapid antigen test conducted on the same day and will undergo further PCR tests to determine whether he is infected with the new coronavirus.

　　South Korea's Central Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters reported on the 3rd that as of 0:00 that day, South Korea had newly confirmed 198,803 new cases of new coronavirus infection compared with 0:00 the previous day, with a total of 3,691,488 confirmed cases.

　　The number of new cases in the country in a single day decreased by 20,437 from the previous day, and the increase showed a slowing trend.

The Korean epidemic prevention department believes that as the growth rate nears the peak, it is expected that the new confirmed cases will peak in the next one to two weeks.

In addition, considering the rapid spread of the Omicron strain, the epidemic prevention department will focus on controlling the scale of severe and fatal cases rather than controlling the number of new confirmed cases.

　　According to a report by Kyodo News on the 2nd, the Japanese government has recently relaxed the measures at border crossings for the new crown virus, but the “ERFS” dedicated system for the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which handles entry application procedures online, has a loophole, leaking a large amount of applicant information.

　　Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said the system was activated at 10 a.m. local time on February 25.

An outside source pointed out that an information loophole was discovered on February 28, and the names, dates of birth, and passport numbers of up to 60,000 foreign entrants were once accessible to entry applicants.

Oceania: New Zealand protests draw to a close

　　On March 3, local time, the 23-day protests against mandatory vaccination near the New Zealand Parliament Building came to an end.

　　On the afternoon of the 2nd, the local police regained control of the area near the Capitol. Except for a few protesters in nearby streets, there were no protesters in front of the Capitol, and a large-scale clean-up operation was underway.

　　On the 2nd, 87 demonstrators were arrested, and several policemen were injured and sent to the hospital for treatment.

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