January 1 Comprehensive news: According to the latest data on the website of the World Health Organization, as of 16:11 CET on December 31, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide has reached 81,147,053 of which 1,179,050 have died.
According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 22:23 Eastern Time on December 31, there were 83418,826 confirmed cases worldwide, of which more than 1.8 million had died, reaching 1,817,998.
The number of newly confirmed cases in the United Kingdom, Japan, Malaysia and other countries on December 31 hit a new high since the outbreak of the epidemic. In the face of the still raging epidemic, many countries are welcoming the arrival of the New Year in 2021 in stricter epidemic prevention measures.
WHO: Report the main mutations of COVID-19
WHO reported on the main variability of COVID-19 since its emergence on December 31. A mutation of D614G occurred in late January and early February 2020. Studies have shown that the variant is more infectious and transmitt, but does not cause more serious diseases and does not affect the effectiveness of existing diagnostics, treatments, vaccines and public health measures.
A variant of COVID-19 associated with mink was discovered in Denmark from August to September 2020, which does not appear to have spread widely.
On 14 December 2020, the United Kingdom reported to WHO a variant of COVID-19, named in UK as VOC202012/01. Preliminary studies show that the variant has stronger transmission power, but the severity and reinfection of the disease caused by it have not changed, and most diagnostic tools are not affected. As of December 30, 31 other countries and regions have found this variant.
On 18 December 2020, a variant of COVID-19 was detected in South Africa, with a mutation of N501Y, which South Africa named 501Y.V2 variant, which is spreading rapidly in three provinces of South Africa.
Although the mutant COVID-19 previously discovered in the UK also has N501Y mutation, the analysis shows that it is a different variant from the mutant novel coronavirus found in South Africa. Preliminary studies suggest that the variant is associated with higher viral loads and may increase the contagion, but there is no evidence that it causes more serious diseases. As of December 30, four countries outside South Africa had discovered the variant.
WHO also stressed that although preliminary assessments show that the mutant novel coronavirus found in the United Kingdom and South Africa will not increase the severity of the disease, it will lead to higher incidence and more hospitalizations and deaths, so stricter public health measures are needed to control the spread of these mutant viruses.
WHO also recommends that countries increase routine gene sequencing of COVID-19 to better understand the spread of the virus and monitor variants.
Americas: More than 1996 million cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the United States
According to the latest statistics from Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 1996 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, of which more than 345,000 have died.
According to the latest forecast of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the cumulative number of coronavirus deaths in the United States may reach 424,000 by January 23.
As of December 31 local time, Canada has confirmed more than 570,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. In order to control the spread of the virus, Canadian Transport Minister Mark Garno announced on the same day that from January 7, 2021, all passengers over 5 years old entering Canada must provide a negative nucleic acid test within 72 hours.
Brazil’s Ministry of Health reported on December 31 that 56,773 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, with a total of more than 7.67 million confirmed cases; 1,074 new deaths, the third consecutive day in Brazil has more than 1,000 new deaths, with a total of nearly 200,000 deaths.
Europe: Record-breaking number of confirmed cases in the United Kingdom
According to the data released by the British government on December 31, 55,892 new confirmed cases were added in the UK that day, and the number of new confirmed cases in a single day is the highest since the outbreak of the epidemic in the country.
The total number of confirmed cases is 2488,780. The number of new confirmed cases in a single day in the United Kingdom has remained high recently, exceeding 40,000 on the 28th and exceeding 50,000 on the 29th and 30th respectively.
Due to the unoptimistic epidemic situation, the UK has recently tightened epidemic prevention and control measures many times. The government calls on people to stay at home as much as possible and avoid any social activities that violate the epidemic prevention regulations.
According to the French Ministry of Health on December 31, the country has received 1,927 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, with a total of more than 2.62 million confirmed cases, ranking fifth among countries in the world. From 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on January 1, 2021, the curfew was strictly enforced throughout the law to deal with the still severe epidemic.
With the surge of confirmed cases, the Slovak government issued new regulations on epidemic prevention, requiring ski resorts and hotels to suspend business from January 1 to 24, 2021; close churches; work from home as much as possible; and prohibit visits to relatives and friends.
Asia: New confirmed cases in many countries hit a new high
Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported on December 31 that 4,515 new confirmed cases were confirmed on the same day, setting a new record since the epidemic in the country and surpassing 4,000 people for the first time in a single day.
Tokyo also reached four figures for the first time, with 1,337 people. According to the report, mainly in large cities, the severity of the spread of the epidemic is further highlighted, and the hospital beds and health care system may be strained, and the voices calling for new countermeasures to curb the epidemic may rise.
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health reported on the same day that 2,525 new confirmed cases in the country in the past 24 hours, the highest number of new confirmed cases in a single day since the epidemic.
This is the 22nd consecutive day that Malaysia has more than 1,000 new confirmed cases in a single day. Against this background, New Year’s Eve celebrations have been cancelled in all parts of Malaysia.
The city authorities in New Delhi, India, announced on the same day that it would implement a nightly restriction to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The measure will be implemented from 23:00 on December 31 to 6:00 on the next day, and from 23:00 on January 1, 2021 to 6:00 the next day. During this period, New Year’s celebrations are not allowed and gatherings of more than five people are prohibited in public places.
Africa: more than 2.72 million confirmed cases
According to the latest epidemic data released by the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 5: 00: 00 Eastern African time on December 31, the total number of confirmed cases in the region reached 2,728,602, of which 64,790 were dead.
