China News Agency, Beijing, March 17. Comprehensive news: The latest data from the World Health Organization website shows that as of 19:57 CET on March 16, the number of confirmed new crown cases in the world increased by 1,679,216 compared with the previous day, reaching a total of 46,028,0168 cases; The death toll increased by 1,751 to a total of 6,050,018.
Americas: The cumulative number of confirmed cases in the United States exceeds 79 million
On March 16, local time, according to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 16:20 ET on the 16th (4:20 on the 17th Beijing time), the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the United States exceeded 79 million. , reached 79,629,053 cases, and the cumulative number of deaths reached 967,806 cases. Compared with the two data 24 hours ago, there were 46,611 new confirmed cases and 1,747 new deaths.
According to the latest news released by the Chilean Ministry of Health, as of March 16, local time, the cumulative number of confirmed new crown cases in Chile exceeded 3.336 million, and the death toll reached 44,000. There were 12,566 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. During this period, the positive rate of new crown tests nationwide reached 10.98%, and the utilization rate of intensive care beds reached 90.7%.
In response to the recent increase in the number of confirmed cases of the new crown, Chile’s Ministry of Health announced this week that it would extend the state of health emergency for three months. In addition, the Chilean government will set up a special committee to respond to the epidemic, involving President Boric, Health Minister Maria Yalza and several cabinet ministers, which will focus on issues such as mental health and skilled nursing.
Europe: Irish PM tests positive for coronavirus
According to Reuters and PA Media news, on the 16th local time, Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin tested positive for the new crown virus.
Irish Prime Minister Martin attended an event held at the National Building Museum in Washington on the evening of the 16th. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the event. But a White House official said Biden was not in close contact with Martin.
Earlier, White House spokesman Psaki said in a statement on the White House official website that US President Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Irish Prime Minister Martin at the White House on March 17.
According to data released by the French public health department on March 16, local time, as of the afternoon of the same day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in France reached 23,758,477, and the cumulative number of deaths was 140,585; in the past 24 hours, there were 108,832 new confirmed cases and 145 new deaths.
According to a Reuters report on the 16th, Germany’s new crown incidence index (an average of seven new diagnoses per 100,000 people), which is used to monitor the severity of the epidemic, reached 1,607 on the same day, hitting a new record high again. The cumulative number of infected cases in the country has reached nearly 17.7 million.
Germany’s Robert Koch Institute recorded 262,593 new infections that day, a 22 percent increase from a week earlier.
In addition, the German Ministry of Economy said that Germany plans to invest 2.861 billion euros (about 3.14 billion U.S. dollars) to ensure that the country’s new crown vaccine manufacturers have enough production capacity to provide the country’s people with vaccines.
Asia: South Korea’s new confirmed cases exceed 620,000 in a single day
South Korea’s Central Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters reported on the 17th that as of 0:00 that day, South Korea had added more than 620,000 new confirmed cases of new crowns within 24 hours, reaching 621,328, with a total of 8,250,592 confirmed cases; 429 new deaths were added that day, and the cumulative number of deaths 11,481 people; there are 1,328 severe cases.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on the evening of the 16th that the “key measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic” currently applicable to 18 prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Hokkaido, will be fully lifted after the deadline on March 21. This means that in addition to certain restrictions on the entry of foreigners, the administrative restrictions on epidemic prevention in Japan will be lifted.
Since the beginning of this year, Japan has ushered in the sixth wave of the new crown epidemic. The number of newly confirmed cases in a single day exceeded 100,000 at most, and then declined. A team of experts from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recently analyzed that the “key measures” have played a role in restraining the flow of people to a certain extent, causing the number of newly confirmed cases to slowly decline, but it is expected that this indicator will still “run at a high level” for a period of time in the future.
According to the statistics of the Japan Broadcasting Association TV station, as of 18:20 local time on the 16th (17:20 Beijing time), there were 57,922 new confirmed cases in Japan that day, with a total of 5,922,567 confirmed cases; 163 new deaths and a cumulative death of 26,641. example.
The Philippine government announced on the 16th that it will further relax the entry restrictions for foreigners from now on, allowing citizens of non-visa-free countries and regions who have fully vaccinated against the new crown vaccine to enter.
The Philippine Bureau of Immigration said in a statement released on the same day that citizens from non-visa-exempt countries and regions must hold a valid visa, a new crown vaccination certificate, and a nucleic acid negative certificate within 48 hours before departure. Self-monitoring is required for 7 days. Vaccinations are not mandatory for children under the age of 12, but must be accompanied by their parents.
Local media believe that further relaxation of foreigner entry restrictions will help the recovery of the local tourism industry. The Philippine Tourism Secretary expressed the hope that this policy will attract more foreign tourists and help the tourism industry get out of the plight of the epidemic.
On the afternoon of the 16th, the Chinese-aided Chinese medicine anti-epidemic expert group in Cambodia arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport by plane. This is the first national-level TCM anti-epidemic medical team sent overseas by China. In the next two months, the expert group will be stationed at the China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital in Kosma to carry out medical assistance missions to Cambodia and promote China’s experience in epidemic prevention and control to Cambodia.
Africa: The cumulative number of deaths in Africa exceeds 250,000
According to data from the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention on the 16th, a total of 11,287,599 confirmed cases of new crowns in the region, a total of 250,422 deaths, and a total of 1,0555,195 cured cases.
Responsible editor: Yuan Danhua