Today, Wednesday, the US Department of Health extended the public health emergency due to the “Covid-19” pandemic, allowing millions of Americans to continue to receive free examinations, vaccines and treatments, while World Health Organization officials recommended on Tuesday that the wearing of a mask should be compulsory for passengers on long-haul flights.
The state of health emergency was declared in the United States for the first time in January 2020 with the start of the Corona virus pandemic, and it has been extended every 3 months since then.
It was also due to be completed this week.
The increased availability of vaccines and medicines has greatly reduced the death rate from the virus, as 3,000 Americans were dying every day.
Hundreds are still dying daily from corona in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest data from the centers showed an increase in the number of daily infections in the United States, with about 390 virus-related deaths recorded daily.
Wear a mask
On the other hand, officials at the World Health Organization said on Tuesday that countries should study the recommendation for passengers to wear masks during long-haul flights in light of the rapid spread of the latest variant of the Corona virus.
Health officials said that the "XBB 1.5" mutant is more infectious than the "Omicron" strain.
It is not yet clear whether the new variant will cause a new global wave of infections.
Experts say current vaccines still provide protection against severe symptoms, hospitalizations and death.
Chinese refusal of the accusations
In the context, China rejected Washington and the West's accusations of losing control over the outbreak of the Corona virus, and considered this "mere speculation."
China's ambassador to Russia, Zhang Hanhui, said - in an interview with the Russian "TASS" agency - that "his country's new measures to combat the Corona virus have won widespread support and recognition among members of the international community."
He added that there are certain forces "not only in the United States but in the Western world in general, who overlook the Chinese miracle in fighting the epidemic," speculating that China is "losing control of the epidemic," and seeking to "distort our own COVID-19 prevention and control measures." ".
It is noteworthy that the World Health Organization said today, Wednesday, that it is working with China to address the possibility of an increase in cases of Covid-19 again as the Chinese travel to celebrate the Lunar New Year, but the lack of data poses a challenge to this endeavour.