Global number of new COVID-19 cases decreased by 22%, Asia fell the most

Compared to last week, number of new cases of COVID-19 Globally, the decline was 22%, of which Asia recorded the strongest decrease of 28%, followed by Europe 21%, Africa 19%…

South Korea is currently the country with the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the world, but the total number of new cases in the past week has decreased by 30% compared to the previous week. On April 16, South Korea recorded 107,916 new infections, a sharp decrease compared to the peak of the epidemic recorded more than 620,000 cases / day on March 17. According to the plan, from the beginning of next week, South Korea will lift all regulations on social distancing, except for wearing masks, marking the end of more than two years of imposing strict measures against the COVID-19 epidemic. 19.

Meanwhile, in China, some localities have begun to apply new blockade measures to prevent the COVID-19 epidemic. Specifically, the Zhengzhou Airport industrial park in Henan province, home to many production facilities of large companies such as Foxconn, announced a 14-day blockade order from April 15 and this measure will be adjusted. depending on the epidemic situation. Accordingly, only employees with valid passports, valid medical codes and negative certificates for the virus can leave the industrial park during the application of the blockade order.

The city of Xi’an in northwest China also announced a temporary partial blockade after recording dozens of new cases of COVID-19 this month. The financial center of Shanghai is currently the epicenter of a new outbreak in China. On April 16, this city announced that it recorded 3,590 new symptomatic cases and 19,923 new asymptomatic cases. Although most people in the city are implementing a blockade order, the number of new cases here still accounts for the majority of the total number of new cases recorded across the country.

Passengers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, April 1, 2022. Photo: THX/VNA

On the morning of April 16, China’s National Health Commission announced that it had recorded 3,896 new symptomatic cases in mainland China on April 15, of which 3,867 were community infections. In addition, there were 20,894 new asymptomatic cases, of which 20,813 were transmitted in the community.

According to estimates by a division of Nomura Holdings Inc. In Japan, about 373 million people in 45 cities in China are complying with local government’s blockade orders, equivalent to 26.4% of the country’s population.

In North America, South America and Europe, countries are working to expand their enhanced COVID-19 vaccination programs to protect people against the emergence of a new variant and the risk of a resurgence in the disease. fall according to experts’ warnings. Many argue that two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine do not provide enough protection against the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The booster shot is important, experts say, because the Omicron variant – which currently dominates – may be able to “dodge” some of the protective effects of two doses of the mRNA vaccine, especially in people vulnerable. Although the 3rd and 4th injections do not completely prevent the risk of infection, they are very effective in preventing the risk of hospitalization and death. An American study found that two doses of the mRNA vaccine were 65% effective in preventing Omicron-related hospitalizations in people 18 years of age and older. For those who received 3 injections, the effectiveness of preventing hospitalization increased to 86

WHO previously warned countries to carefully monitor disease developments so that they can prepare timely response plans. WHO is currently monitoring the BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron as well as the recombinant variant of BA.1 and BA.2 as “variants” stealth” BA.2 has become the dominant infectious variant globally.

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