According to Worldometer real-time statistics, as of around 6:30 on March 21, 2022 Beijing time, a total of 470,579,965 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia and 6,099,742 deaths have been confirmed worldwide.
Globally, there were 1,430,989 new confirmed cases and 3,457 new deaths in a single day. In the past week, the number of confirmed cases globally increased by 8%, according to the WHO, to more than 11 million.
In response, the World Health Organization said that although the number of new crown infection tests in some countries has recently declined, the number of new confirmed cases of the new crown globally has risen again after several weeks of decline. WHO is calling on countries to expand vaccination coverage as soon as possible and to be vigilant in lifting pandemic responses.
South Korea's cases top 9 million
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) on March 20, the country recorded 334,708 new confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia within 24 hours, and the cumulative number of cases has exceeded 9 million, increasing to 9,373,646.
This marks another new milestone in the number of new coronary pneumonia cases in South Korea. The jump from 8 million to 9 million this time took three days; the jump from 7 million to 8 million took only two days.
The latest tally was down from 381,454 the day before and also marked a sharp drop from the all-time high of 621,281 cases reported last Thursday.
Despite the recent easing, concerns remain that the daily infection rate could spike again as the South Korean government eases social distancing rules this week.
UK lifts all epidemic prevention measures
According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey, more than 3.25 million people, or about 4.8% of the total population, were infected with Covid-19 in the UK in the week to March 12.
At the start of the year, around 6.3% of the UK population was infected with Covid-19, by the end of February that figure had dropped to 3.5%. And now, it's rising again, by more than 30%.
Masks, testing, self-isolation and social distancing have all disappeared in the country since the cancellation of Plan B in late January. The social connection of the British public has increased. Since mid-February, cases of infection with mutant BA.2 of the omicron subtype have been increasing sharply. It currently accounts for over 75% of all cases.
However, the British official announced that from March 18, all new crown epidemic prevention restrictions will be lifted. This also means that all travellers entering the UK no longer need to implement any restrictions on the new crown, and no longer need to be tested and quarantined.
Italy ends state of emergency
Recently, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced that the country's new crown epidemic state of emergency will officially end on March 31. He also stated at a press conference that the government will pay close attention to the trend of the epidemic in the future and take measures according to the situation.
After the state of emergency ends, the Science and Technology Committee previously established to fight the epidemic will be dissolved, and the Ministry of Health will set up a special operational department for the transitional period to complete the vaccination campaign.
Canada lifts border testing requirement
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault have announced the latest easing of pandemic travel restrictions.
Under border rules, fully vaccinated travelers must show proof of a negative rapid antigen test administered by a health professional before a scheduled flight or land border crossing.
According to the latest announcement from the federal government of Canada, effective April 1, the federal government will remove the pre-arrival COVID-19 testing requirement at the border for fully vaccinated travelers.
This will mean fully vaccinated travelers will no longer need to be tested for COVID-19 before flying or driving into Canada. But travelers who are not fully vaccinated will still need to be tested for COVID-19 and provide a "negative report."
Thailand adjusts mask order
Thailand's Ministry of Health officials said a few days ago that the Thai government plans to turn the new crown pneumonia into an endemic disease in July this year, and has formulated corresponding steps. This will have a series of impacts on disease prevention and treatment and related regulations in Thailand, and the government must adjust relevant epidemic prevention laws to adapt to this transition process.
Among them, the regulations on wearing masks in public places will also be changed. It is expected that people will be allowed to wear masks in open spaces without needing to wear masks. The first place to be allowed will be parks.
Germany cancels mask orders in many places
According to the latest data released by the German Federal Agency for Disease Control and Prevention, the Robert Koch Institute, as of 0:00 local time on March 20, a total of 18,680,017 new confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia have been confirmed in Germany, an increase of 131,792 cases compared with the previous day; a total of 126,916 deaths There were 49 new deaths from the previous day.
German Chancellor Scholz said after talks with the leaders of 16 German states that while a record of nearly 300,000 infections in one day is not good news, it is reasonable to ease restrictions given that intensive care units are not overcrowded. of.
Subsequently, Scholz announced that from March 20, the requirement to wear masks in public indoor places such as schools and supermarkets will be lifted, but it will still be enforced in medical institutions and nursing homes.
Tajikistan lifts coronavirus restrictions
Tajikistan also announced the lifting of restrictive measures against the epidemic. It is reported that based on the stability of the epidemic situation in Tajikistan, according to the decision of the country's epidemic prevention and control headquarters, from the 15th, the epidemic restrictive measures for domestic and inbound people and the mandatory wearing of masks in public places have been cancelled.
Pakistan lifts coronavirus restrictions
Pakistan's Minister of Planning and Development Omar announced that the government will lift all Covid-19-related restrictions in the country, including those imposed on weddings, indoor dining and markets.
He also said that the number of confirmed cases of the new crown in Pakistan has continued to decline, and 70% of the population has been vaccinated. The above decision was made after careful consideration. He also said that the lifting of all restrictions does not mean that the new crown pneumonia epidemic is over, and the government will continue to review the situation of the epidemic, while the restrictions imposed on people who have not been vaccinated against the new crown pneumonia will continue.
