【無了期唔知幾時完嘅武漢肺炎】國際疫情討論區09

1,402 new cases and 9 new deaths in Lithuania

Keep worsening!

15,592 new cases and 154 new deaths in the Philippines

Improving

'INTENTIONAL': Chinese defector's shock theory over Covid origins

A Chinese defector has suggested the Covid-19 pandemic began after the virus was potentially leaked amongst participants of the military games in Wuhan months before the deadly outbreak was confirmed.

Speaking to Sky News journalist Sharri Markson for her new documentary What Really Happened in Wuhan, defector and democracy campaigner Wei Jingsheng said the Military World Games in October, which saw thousands of athletes from around the world head to the central Chinese city, was likely the first superspreader event.

“I thought that the Chinese government would take this opportunity to spread the virus during the Military Games, as many foreigners would show up there,” he said.

Wei claims he was aware of Chinese authorities experimenting with "strange biological weapons", a tip off from a government source, and tried to warn the US but was unsuccessful.

Multiple athletes from around the world later reported sickness and symptoms consistent with Covid-19.

Last month the the US's Republican Foreign Affairs Committee released a report claiming Beijing was rushing to cover up the virus's spread around the time of the military games.

"When they realised what happened, Chinese Communist Party officials and scientists at the WIV began frantically covering up the leak," Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said.

"But their coverup was too late — the virus was already spreading throughout the megacity of Wuhan."
Former US president Donald Trump also spoke with Markson for the documentary and said a mountain of evidence suggested it was clear the virus had been leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

He said he was unsure however if the virus was intentionally spread or whether it was an accidental leak by scientists.

Initially criticised for his soft approach with China, World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus surprisingly questioned the findings of a joint mission into the origins of the virus earlier this year calling on more to be done to investigate the lab leak theory and called for a new team of experts in the process.

40 new cases in Iceland

Worsening again. Iceland is now one of the top 3 most vaccinated countries.

3,361 new cases and 13 new deaths in Mongolia

Worsening again.

新冠肺炎今增0例本土、9例境外 莊人祥：鴻海子公司員工暫不研判確診

中央流行疫情指揮中心今天公布國內新增9例COVID-19確定病例，均為境外移入；另確診個案中無新增死亡至。至於鴻海子公司鴻騰精密科技股份有限公司某研發工程師疑似確診，指揮中心發言人表示，暫不研判為確診病例。
指揮中心表示，今日新增9例境外移入個案，為7例男性、2例女性，年齡介於20多歲至40多歲，分別自印尼（案16270、案16278）、阿拉伯聯合大公國（案16271）、越南（案16272、案16273）、菲律賓（案16274）、奧地利（案16275）、印度（案16276）及肯亞（案16277）入境，入境日介於9月8日至9月22日。

指揮中心統計，截至目前國內累計3,216,611例新型冠狀病毒肺炎相關通報（含3,199,476例排除），其中16,168例確診，分別為1,536例境外移入，14,578例本土病例，36例敦睦艦隊、3例航空器感染、1例不明及14例調查中；另累計110例移除為空號。2020年起累計841例COVID-19死亡病例，其中829例本土，個案居住縣市分布為新北市411例、台北市318例、基隆市28例、桃園市26例、彰化縣15例、新竹縣13例、台中市5例、苗栗縣3例、宜蘭縣及花蓮縣各2例，台東縣、雲林縣、台南市、南投縣、高雄市及屏東縣各1例；另12例為境外移入。

7,866 new cases and 123 new deaths in Ukraine

Keep worsening

Thailand Mulls Week Quarantine for Vaccinated Visitors

Thai officials proposed reducing a mandatory quarantine period to just seven days -- down from two weeks -- for all vaccinated international travelers, according to Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control. Travelers with inoculation caccine certificates would still need to be tested for Covid upon arrival, and before departing quarantine.

Singapore Signals Cases Rising Faster Than It Expected

Virus cases are rising faster in Singapore than the government originally projected but the situation remains under control, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told a Straits Times sister publication.

The Southeast Asian city-state had 1,457 new virus cases as of noon Sept. 22, the Ministry of Health said -- a higher per-capita rate than New York, and just below that of London, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“We had planned to have a preparatory period, during which we could gradually open up while handling perhaps 100 to 200 cases a day,” Ong was quoted as saying in a Mandarin-language interview with Lianhe Zaobao, reported by the Straits Times. “But delta did not wait for us to be ready and attacked us first.”

Duterte Taps Military to Assist Hospitals

President Rodrigo Duterte told the police and the military to augment hospital staffing in Metro Manila, as hundreds of health workers have Covid and the Philippines -- a global supplier of nurses -- is experiencing a “dearth of supply.”

Record Cases for Australia’s Victoria

Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, reported a daily record of 766 virus infections on Thursday. Authorities have struggled to bring the state’s current delta surge under control, despite months of lockdown in Melbourne. The outbreak has doubled in size to more than 10,000 cases in about eight days.

Meanwhile, the delta outbreak in Australia’s most populous state -- New South Wales -- appears to be slowing, after a months-long lockdown and mass vaccination effort.

UN Says Delegate Tested Positive

The United Nations said a delegate who was in the main hall of the General Assembly on Tuesday morning tested positive. While the UN didn’t identify which country the delegate represented, heads of state speaking in the hall at that time included Biden and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro.

Two members of Bolsonaro’s delegation -- including Brazil’s health minister -- have tested positive while in New York.

UN staff who might have been in contact with the infected person “will be notified individually and guided through next steps,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. New York officials had called on the UN to enforce stricter requirements on visiting delegates, but the organization hasn’t required proof of vaccination to enter its buildings.

More NSW (Australia) residents emerge from lockdown as cases trend upwards

More NSW residents will emerge from lockdown at midnight tonight as the state records 1,063 new Covid cases, continuing a three-day upward trend.

Orange and Glen Innes will join Brewarrina, Gilgandra, Lismore and Albury and Narromine in coming out of lockdown this week, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced on Thursday.

"No more major issues in Orange or Glen Innes. So they will come out of the current lockdown arrangements.

"There will be still standard restrictions and precautionary measures but they will be out and back to a more normal life as of midnight tonight."

Stay-at-home orders for Hilltops LGA, including Young, will be extended for a further seven days from Friday due to ongoing transmission in the area, NSW Health reports.

[勇武]建築工強制打疫苗 墨爾本爆武力示威 記者遭攻擊濺血

https://lihkg.com/thread/2710208/page/1

21,438 new cases and 820 new deaths (equal national record) in Russia

Worsening. Winter is coming!

7,095 new cases and 113 new deaths in Romania

Keep worsening.

Alaska to Ration Health Care

Alaska is now the second place in the U.S. to activate statewide crisis standards of care, amid a Covid surge that’s straining hospital capacity in areas that have most resisted vaccination.

It follows Idaho, which last week extended health care rationing statewide as authorities there said they didn’t have enough resources to adequately treat patients in its hospitals. Some Montana health providers have done the same. A common thread in all three states is that less than half the populations have been fully vaccinated, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

1,504 new cases (new national record) and 2 new deaths in Singapore

High vaccination rate = high new cases!

9 new cases in New Zealand

Improving!

北市連2周無不明感染源個案 柯文哲：接近降到1級警戒標準

國內新冠肺炎本土疫情趨緩，台北市今天無新增個案。市長柯文哲表示，從北市各行政區確診數據來看，已有5周的時間，每周新增確診少於5例。另外關於不明感染源個案，北市也有2周的時間未出現，最近新增的個案都找得到感染源。柯文哲指出，國內疫情趨緩，目前已接近降到1級警戒的標準，就看如何在最短時間內拉高疫苗覆蓋率。

台北市政府下午舉行疫情記者會。市長柯文哲表示，北市這兩周雖然還有零星確診，但都找得到感染源，「理論上已經接近降到一級的標準」。若從全台灣整體疫情來看，柯文哲說，不明感染源現在全台應該也很少，但降級之後疫情可能反撲，疫苗覆蓋率必須提高。副市長黃珊珊補充，北市上一例不明感染源案例是9月11日。

黃珊珊也指出，為加速會展、藝文產業復甦，北市2146處機關自營場地，場租減半至12月底，包含小巨蛋、台北體育園區田徑場體育館等，可以舉辦大型活動、展演等，但主辦單位須先送防疫計畫給市府審核。

2,433 new cases (new national record) and 7 new deaths in South Korea

21,379 new cases and 828 new deaths (new national record) in Russia

新增8例COVID-19確定病例，分別為1例本土及７例境外移入

中央流行疫情指揮中心今(24)日公布國內新增8例COVID-19確定病例，分別為1例本土及7例境外移入；另確診個案中無新增死亡。

指揮中心說明，今日新增1例本土病例(案16286)，為20多歲女性，9月7日因發燒就醫快篩為陰性，9月22日因工作需求就醫採檢，並於今日確診。衛生單位已啟動醫院及社區調查與防治，相關接觸者匡列中。

指揮中心表示，今日新增7例境外移入個案，為5例男性、2例女性，年齡介於未滿10歲至60多歲，分別自貝里斯(案16279)、英國(案16280)、菲律賓(案16281、案16282、案16283)、美國(案16284)、日本(案16285)，入境日介於9月11日至9月22日。

指揮中心統計，截至目前國內累計3,241,201例新型冠狀病毒肺炎相關通報(含3,223,684例排除)，其中16,176例確診，分別為1,543例境外移入，14,579例本土病例，36例敦睦艦隊、3例航空器感染、1例不明及14例調查中；另累計110例移除為空號。2020年起累計841例COVID-19死亡病例，其中829例本土，個案居住縣市分布為新北市411例、臺北市318例、基隆市28例、桃園市26例、彰化縣15例、新竹縣13例、臺中市5例、苗栗縣3例、宜蘭縣及花蓮縣各2例，臺東縣、雲林縣、臺南市、南投縣、高雄市及屏東縣各1例；另12例為境外移入。

日本疫情緩和 官員料大部分地區接近解除宣言標準

日本的新型肺炎疫情持續緩和，東京都單日新增235人確診，連續九日少於1000人。

19個都道府縣的緊急事態宣言限期，將於月底屆滿。厚生勞動相田村憲久說，這些地區的新增確診個案正在減少，如果疫情緩和趨勢持續，相信絕大部分地區都接近解除宣言的標準，政府將於首相菅義偉從美國回國後，召開新冠感染症對策總部會議，再決定是否延長宣言。

田村又說，專家指出冬季可能有一波疫情，即使解除宣言，民眾亦要避免高風險行為，貫徹防疫措施。

Singapore to ramp up plans to handle 5,000 daily new COVID cases: Ong Ye Kung

Singapore will start ramping up plans to be ready to handle 5,000 daily new COVID-19 cases, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday (24 September), amid an ongoing coronavirus surge here that is rising much quicker than projected.

His comments at a virtual media conference by the multi-ministry COVID-19 taskforce come after Singapore registered two consecutive days of record-high new cases: 1,457 on Wednesday and followed by 1,504 on Thursday.

Singapore is expected to hit 3,200 new cases in eight days' time as it enters the "fifth doubling cycle", said the taskforce co-chair.

"Whether it gallops there, or slows down and reaches there slowly – this is something we need to observe. What we do know is that no transmission wave lasts forever," he said, adding that despite strict safe management measures in place, "the Delta variant doesn't follow our script".

The exponential rise in infections over a very short period of time has put Singapore's healthcare system and workers under tremendous pressure and stress, Ong noted.

"(Delta) transmitted through the community and is driving up daily cases much more quickly than we expected before our ramped-up plans are fully implemented, before our support systems are fully in place," he added.

To cope with the surge in cases, authorities will accelerate the implementation of plans, said Ong.

Currently, over 40 per cent of daily COVID-19 cases – and a rising proportion – are on the home recovery programme. As of Thursday, 23 patients are in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU) while 163 require oxygen supplementation.

The plans include expanding and assigning more resources to services – telemedicine, a buddy system, and a hotline – made available to those on home recovery. Some 20 to 30 people are on the home recovery buddy team.

The number of COVID-19 hospital beds will also be increased to 1,600, up from a previously planned 1,000. But this will come "at the expense of some degradation of normal services", Ong said.

By end of the week, beds in community care facilities will rise to 4,600, from about 3,500 currently.

Authorities have also launched a new class of facilities called community treatment facilities (CTFs), which are better equipped for closer monitoring and management of COVID-19 patients with chronic illnesses.

About 300 CTF beds have been commissioned this week, with another 700 such beds at Changi Expo and another 200 at Sengkang Hospital to open over the coming weeks.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and private sector hospitals will be roped in to help operate the CTFs. The SAF will also aid in clearing the backlog of requests made by those on home recovery, such as delivering care packs.

With these plans in place, Singapore's healthcare system will be able to cope with 2,500 to 3,000 new COVID-19 daily infections but it will be "quite stretched", Ong said, "at the same time, we need to dig very deep, to prepare ourselves for 5,000 cases".