(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) New Coronary Recombinant Strain XE Detected in Many Countries, South Korea Will Relax Epidemic Prevention Restrictions
China News Service, Beijing, April 16. Comprehensive news: According to data released by Johns Hopkins University at 9:20 on the 16th, Beijing time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the world is 503,491,921, and the cumulative number of deaths from new coronary pneumonia is 6,195,506.
The two countries with the largest number of newly confirmed cases in the past 28 days are South Korea and Germany, with 7,447,260 and 5,013,591 cases, respectively.
Americas: New coronavirus recombinant strain XE found in Hawaii, USA
According to data released by Johns Hopkins University at 9:20 on the 16th, Beijing time, there were 885,491 new confirmed cases in the United States in the past 28 days, with a total of 80,612,721 confirmed cases; 17,592 new deaths in the past 28 days, and a total of 988,559 deaths.
The Hawaii State Department of Health issued a report on the 15th saying that the state has found the new coronavirus recombinant strain XE.
The new coronavirus recombinant strain XE was first discovered in the UK at the beginning of this year. It is a recombinant strain of the sub-variants BA.1 and BA.2 of the Ormicron strain.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine posted on social media on the 15th that he has been infected with the new crown virus and is currently in isolation.
Devine was diagnosed with the new crown in August 2020.
Europe: UK approves use of inactivated new crown vaccine for the first time
The UK Medicines and Health Products Administration issued a statement on the 14th saying that given that the new crown vaccine developed by the French company Valneva has met the UK's safety, quality and efficacy standards, it has decided to approve the vaccine for people aged 18 to 50 years old.
This is the first time the UK has approved the use of a whole virus inactivated new crown vaccine, and the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Administration also said in a statement that it is the first institution in the world to approve this vaccine.
The UK has previously approved the use of 5 new crown vaccines, namely the US Pfizer vaccine, Moderna vaccine, Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Novavax vaccine and British AstraZeneca vaccine.
According to data from the official website of the British Ministry of Health, as of the 13th of this month, 92.1% of people aged 12 and over in the country have received at least one dose of the new crown vaccine, 86.2% have received at least two doses of the vaccine, and 67.9% have received vaccine boosters.
Rush Ernstrand, director of the Swedish National Epidemic Center and director of the Center for Translational Microbiome Research at Karolinska Institutet, said on the 14th that continuously increasing the vaccination rate is the most critical factor for the success of the fight against the epidemic, and vaccination can effectively Prevent severe illness and death.
Ernstrand also affirmed the theoretical and practical achievements of traditional Chinese medicine, and believed that traditional Chinese medicine can play a greater role in fighting the epidemic and responding to possible future pandemics.
The National Public Health Organization of Greece reported on the 14th local time that 9,308 new cases were diagnosed in the country in a single day, with a total of 3,216,256 confirmed cases; 57 new deaths were added, and a total of 28,406 deaths.
Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris announced on the 13th the schedule for the complete lifting of the ban in Greece, including the need to show vaccinations or a new crown recovery certificate to enter the closed area from May 1, and from June 1. Remove the mandatory wearing of masks in most indoor venues in Greece, etc.
According to data released by the French public health department on the 15th, as of the afternoon of that day, there were 125,394 newly diagnosed cases in France in a single day, with a total of 27,572,821 confirmed cases; 151 new deaths and a total of 144,061 deaths.
Asia: South Korea to ease coronavirus restrictions
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Fuqian announced on the 15th that the South Korean government has decided to fully lift social distancing measures from the 18th of this month, that is, next week, the business hours of public gathering places and restrictions on private gatherings, large-scale events, assemblies, and places of worship will be fully lifted. member.
The ban on eating and drinking in indoor public gathering places such as cinemas and indoor sports facilities will also be lifted from the 25th of this month.
However, Jin Fuqian said that people will still need to wear masks indoors for a long time to come.
Regarding whether it is necessary to wear masks outdoors, the government will evaluate the epidemic prevention situation in two weeks before making a decision.
The South Korean government announced on the 15th the "Post-Omicron Response Plan", which decided to lower the infectious disease level of the new crown epidemic from the highest category A to category B from the 25th of this month.
South Korea's Central Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said on the same day that the number of nucleic acid tests for people entering South Korea will be reduced to one from June this year, and rapid antigen testing will no longer be required, and those entering the country who have completed the entire process of vaccination against the new crown will be exempt from isolation.
South Korea's Central Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters notified on the 15th that as of 0:00 that day, South Korea had newly confirmed 125,846 cases in a single day, with a total of 16,104,896 confirmed cases.
Oceania: Australia's first case of new coronavirus recombinant strain XE infection
According to foreign media reports, the health department of New South Wales, Australia confirmed on the 14th that an overseas traveller who recently returned to Australia was infected with the new coronavirus recombinant strain XE.
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