WHO = World Health Organization will hold a committee of experts on the 4th to consider whether it can be lifted on the declaration of a "public health emergency of international concern" issued in response to the spread of the new coronavirus.
In response to the spread of the novel coronavirus, the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020.
The WHO is regularly considering whether it can lift the declaration, and a committee of experts and health officials from each country will meet on June 4 to discuss lifting the declaration. At the last meeting of the committee in January, it was decided to continue the declaration due to concerns about the mutated virus.
According to the WHO, the number of deaths worldwide due to the new coronavirus increased temporarily in response to the rapid spread of infection in China and has continued to decline since then, but the number of deaths in the past four weeks has still exceeded 1,4.
WHO Director-General Tedros expressed a sense of caution at a regular press conference on March 26, saying, "We are hopeful that the state of emergency will be lifted this time, but the virus is still there."
As infection control measures are relaxed in each country and responses are being taken on the premise that the new coronavirus exists, the future of the discussion will be closely watched.
What is a "state of emergency"?
Regarding the new coronavirus, WHO = World Health Organization declared a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" in January 2020 based on the "International Health Regulations".
The declaration of a "state of emergency" has the significance of encouraging countries to strengthen their countermeasures, and the WHO has since called on countries to take measures to prevent the spread of infection, promote the development of vaccines and treatments, promote vaccination, and strengthen surveillance systems for mutated viruses. We have been promoting the supply of vaccines and therapeutic drugs to developing countries within an international framework.
Continuation or cancellation Debate is held once every three months
WHO convenes a panel of experts once every three months to discuss the response to the coronavirus and whether it constitutes an "emergency," and Director-General Tedros will decide whether to continue or lift the "emergency" based on the results of the consultation.
According to the WHO, as of April 4, the cumulative number of infected people worldwide has been about 26 million, and about 7.6400 million people have died, while the number of vaccinations has reached 690.4 billion as of April 24.
The new corona cannot be eradicated and is expected to spread repeatedly in the future, but the percentage of people who become seriously ill or die when infected is decreasing due to advances in treatment and the emergence of pills to prevent the disease from becoming severe.
Japan Regarding measures in Japan, experts should maintain a monitoring system to ensure that the highly infectious mutated virus does not spread, so that the medical system can be strengthened when the infection spreads, wear non-woven masks and ventilate correctly according to the situation, eat and drink in as small a number as possible, wear masks except when eating and drinking, It points out that it is necessary to continue basic infection control measures, such as refraining from going out when you have symptoms.
Domestic infections: 3400 million in total, nearly 4,5000 deaths
WHO = As of January 2020, 1, when the World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus a "public health emergency of international concern"Japan the number of confirmed infections in Japan was 30 according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Since then, Japan has experienced eight waves of infection, and as of March 12, the cumulative number of infected people has reached nearly 8 million, and the number of deaths has risen to nearly 3,3400.
What is the response to the "state of emergency" in Japan 1st ~ 8th wave?
The first confirmed infection in Japan Japan was on January 2020, 1, and on April 15, the government issued the first "state of emergency" based on the law in seven prefectures, including Tokyo, and asked them to reduce the opportunities for contact between people by "at least 4% and as much as 7%."
In the first wave of the spread of infection, by the end of May 7, the number of infected people was about 7,8, and 1 people died, and the proportion of infected people who died, the fatality rate was as high as 2020.5%.
There have been a total of eight waves of the spread of infection so far, but the fatality rate tends to gradually decrease, and in order to balance infection control and socio-economic activities, the state of emergency was declared after the "fifth wave" in the summer of 1 when the Delta variant of the mutant virus spread, and the priority measures such as prevention of the spread of the Omicron variant from the beginning of 7000 last year After that, it is no longer served.
Accounting for 2% of deaths in the three months to the end of February this year
On the other hand, since the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant, the number of infected people has increased by orders of magnitude, and the medical system has been tightened, which has greatly affected not only corona but also general medical care such as emergency care, and the number of deaths has increased.
In the eighth wave this winter, the fatality rate is 8.0%, but the number of people who died in January 23 was the highest ever, with some days exceeding 2023 in a single day, and in the three months from December 1 to the end of February this year, about 500,2022 people have died, accounting for 12% of the people who have died so far.
At first, many people died of severe pneumonia due to infection with the new coronavirus, but now there may be more cases of elderly people with serious chronic illnesses and other people dying due to worsening of their condition triggered by infection.
Mutated viruses and vaccines so far
The new coronavirus has been mutating repeatedly for three years, and a corresponding vaccine has been introduced, but there are concerns about the emergence and spread of a new mutated virus that is highly infectious.
The first confirmed infection in Japan was the same type of virus found in Wuhan, China, but since the spring of 3, the virus that spread in Europe has spread in the country with mutations.
After that, mutant viruses that became more infectious appeared and flowed into Japan country, and the "Alpha strain" first reported in the United Kingdom from the spring of 2020, and then the "Delta strain" first reported in India from the summer of 2021 spread, and the medical system was tightened one after another for patients who became seriously ill.
In Japan Japan vaccination for the new coronavirus began with medical workers in February 2021, and was expanded to the elderly, people with underlying diseases, and people over 2021 years old without underlying diseases, and about 2% of the population in late August and more than 12% at the end of that year completed two vaccinations.
Mainstream Omicron variant mutates and spreads
Since the beginning of 2022, the highly contagious Omicron variant, which was first reported in South Africa, has remained mainstream in the country.
After the spread of the "BA.1" type of Omicron variant, "BA.2022" became the mainstream from spring 2, and "BA.5" from summer onwards.
The Omicron variant is said to easily bypass immunity and reduce the effectiveness of conventional vaccines, and vaccines containing ingredients corresponding to "BA.1" and "BA.5" have been developed and inoculated.
However, XBB.2.1, a mutated virus that combines two types of Omicron strains and is said to be more susceptible to immune systems, is spreading in Japan Japan, and mutated viruses of another XBB strain are spreading overseas.
The FDA = Food and Drug Administration of the United States has proposed that vaccines for the new coronavirus will be administered every year for new mutations, such as seasonal influenza vaccines.