Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 17. The World Health Organization warned on the 16th that the number of confirmed cases of the new crown worldwide has surged again, and prevention and control measures should not be lifted prematurely.
WHO emergency project technical director Maria van Kerckhofer told media reporters on the same day that global new crown cases increased, and in the case of “a significant reduction in (new crown virus) testing”, Now canceling epidemic prevention measures such as wearing masks and maintaining social distance will give the virus more opportunities to spread.
WHO data shows that from the 7th to the 13th of this month, there were 11 million new confirmed cases of new crowns worldwide, an increase of 8% over the previous week, the first increase since January this year; new deaths More than 43,000 cases.
On March 16, people wearing masks walked on the streets of Seoul, South Korea. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Li Xianghao)
In the more than two years since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the cumulative number of deaths has exceeded 6 million. Van Kerckhofer said the actual figure could be several times that, and the recent rebound in the epidemic was “affected by a combination of factors.”
She said that the Omicron strain of the new coronavirus variant is still raging around the world, with subtype variant strain BA.1 and more infectious BA.2 appearing, “This is the most contagious virus so far. Strong new coronavirus variant.” At present, the complete or large-scale cancellation of epidemic prevention measures in many countries, coupled with uneven vaccination status, makes the new crown virus more likely to spread.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reminded that the reduction of new crown testing in some countries means that “the cases we are seeing now are just the tip of the iceberg”. “As cases increase, so do deaths… We call on countries to remain vigilant, the outbreak is not over.”
3 Parents escort their children to school in Chicago, the United States, on March 14. On the same day, Chicago Public Schools in the United States lifted the requirement to wear masks in school. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Joel Reiner)
Van Kerckhofer pointed out that don’t mistakenly believe that “the new crown epidemic has passed, and the Omicron strain is not harmful”, which is harmful to the elderly and has The virus remains at risk for disease and the unvaccinated population.
“The good thing is that we have the tools to reduce the spread of the virus… We know that wearing masks, social distancing works, and getting vaccinated saves lives,” Van Kerckhofer said. ).”
According to Reuters reports, experts are worried that the United States has lifted the epidemic prevention measures such as the mask order, and the immunity effect of the population has weakened after several months of vaccination, which may soon usher in a subtype of Omicron A new wave of outbreaks caused by the mutant strain BA.2. The White House said on the 14th that the BA.2 strain has been circulating in the United States for some time, and there are currently about 35,000 infected cases, which are expected to continue to increase. (Chen Dan)
Source: Xinhua News Agency