Epidemic prevention, weather...Important reminders, regarding the "Double Festivals", please receive the authoritative interpretation!

The epidemic has broken out in multiple locations across the country. How can we control its spread?

The number of newly confirmed cases worldwide has exceeded 800,000 every day many times. How can we prevent imported cases from abroad?

With New Year’s Day and the Spring Festival approaching, how can we carry out scientific and precise epidemic prevention and control?

The State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism held a press conference on the 29th to respond to hot issues.

Resolutely and decisively take strict prevention and control measures

Recently, local cases have appeared in many places in my country. He Qinghua, a first-level inspector of the Disease Control and Prevention Bureau of the National Health Commission, introduced that at present, the working group sent by the comprehensive group of the State Council’s joint prevention and control mechanism to Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Guangxi and Yunnan is still guiding the epidemic response in the local area.

He Qinghua introduced that the epidemic in Xi'an, Shaanxi is currently in a rapid development stage, and cases have spilled over to within and outside the province. The screening and control measures for risk personnel need to be further strengthened, and the risk of subsequent epidemic transmission in the community is relatively high.

On December 27, community workers wrote slogans of encouragement on their protective clothing in Mengcun Community, Yanta District, Xi'an. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Bowen

Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission, said that we must adhere to the general strategy of "preventing imported cases from abroad and domestic rebound" and resolutely and decisively take strict prevention and control measures. In areas where the epidemic occurs, while going all out to curb the spread of the epidemic, we must do everything possible to ensure the basic living and medical needs of the people.

"Preventing both people and animals" to prevent "imported cases from outside"

Mi Feng introduced that in the past week, the number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide has exceeded 800,000 many times, and the Omicron variant has become the main prevalent strain in some countries, and the pressure on my country to "prevent imported cases from abroad" continues to increase.

With the New Year's Day and Spring Festival holidays approaching, the number of people returning from abroad is increasing. How can we do a good job in epidemic prevention and control at ports? Li Zhengliang, deputy director of the Health and Quarantine Department of the General Administration of Customs, said that we must strictly enforce health quarantine at ports and investigate the risks of all incoming people; strengthen quarantine of incoming goods and strengthen control of overseas sources; strictly supervise the terminal disinfection of incoming passenger aircraft; strictly protect the safety of front-line workers and effectively prevent occupational exposure risks.

On November 10, staff at Ningbo Aquatic Products Wholesale Market checked the "three certificates and one code" of imported frozen aquatic products sold by a merchant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Han

Regarding imported cold chain foods, Dang Qianying, deputy director of the Food Operation Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation, introduced that market supervision departments strictly regulate the production and operation of imported cold chain foods, conduct timely and effective inspections of epidemic-related foods, and strictly prevent the risk of the new coronavirus being introduced through imported cold chain foods.

The convenient travel measures are powerful and warm

According to Zhuo Li, deputy director of the Emergency Office of the Ministry of Transport, preliminary forecasts show that passenger flow during the New Year's Day holiday will be generally stable, and the national passenger volume is expected to be about 80 million. In addition, the national Spring Festival passenger volume will increase significantly compared to 2021.

Zhuoli introduced that the Ministry of Transport will set up a special working group for the Spring Festival travel together with 14 departments and units to coordinate the prevention and control of the epidemic, transportation guarantees, safety supervision, and convenient services in the transportation sector. A series of forceful and warm measures will be taken to ensure efficient and convenient travel for the people.

On November 27, staff members regularly cleaned and disinfected the ticket gates at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Fei

Regarding passengers traveling by plane, Han Guangzu, Director of the Flight Standards Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, introduced that since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the Civil Aviation Administration has revised and issued eight versions of the technical guidelines for epidemic prevention and control in accordance with changes in the epidemic situation to ensure that domestic aircraft disinfection work is standardized, orderly, solid and effective.

Yu Changguo, deputy director of the Market Management Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, reminded tourists to learn the latest epidemic prevention and control policies of the departure and destination places in advance, and not to travel to cities in medium- and high-risk areas. Consciously abide by epidemic prevention and control regulations, wear masks, wash hands frequently, gather less, and develop a good habit of "one-meter line".

2022 New Year's Day weather map: Most of my country will be rainless and snow-free, suitable for travel; the north will be cold, so keep warm

2022 is coming. At the beginning of the new year, most of my country will have less rain and snow. The cold weather is the main theme in the north, and the weather in most parts of the south will warm up. It is generally suitable for travel, but there may be rain and snow in the southwest and other places. China Weather Network has launched the 2022 New Year's Day holiday weather map to help you understand the holiday weather in one picture.

The Central Meteorological Observatory predicts that during the holiday (January 1 to 3), the cold air will be weak, most parts of the country will be sunny to cloudy, the temperature will be close to the normal year, there will be no large-scale smog weather, and there will be no low temperature rain, snow and freezing weather in the southern region. The weather conditions are good and conducive to outdoor activities. However, it is the "second nine" season, the temperature is relatively low, and the lowest temperature 0℃ line is still between the Huanghuai and southern Jianghuai regions, so the public still needs to pay attention to keep warm.

According to Wang Weiyue, a meteorological analyst at China Weather Network, the highest temperature in most parts of Northwest China, Inner Mongolia, northern North China, and Northeast China will be less than 0℃ and the lowest temperature will be below -10℃ during the New Year's Day holiday. Among the big cities, Harbin will have the lowest temperature of -20℃ or below, and Changchun, Shenyang, and Hohhot will be around -15℃, so you need to pay attention to keep warm.

Further reading

Why has the number of confirmed cases in Xi’an increased suddenly in recent days?

At the Xi'an COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control press conference (No. 38) held on the afternoon of December 27, Wei Xiaoli, deputy director of the Xi'an Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the recent increase in cases is mainly due to two reasons:

First, the city has stepped up large-scale nucleic acid screening. Since December 21, multiple rounds of nucleic acid screening have been carried out, which has discovered more hidden cases. Currently, one-third of the cases in this round of epidemic have been discovered through nucleic acid screening. It is an important measure for prevention and control to detect and isolate all infected people as soon as possible through multiple rounds of nucleic acid screening. It has been proven to be an effective method, so there may be a large number of reported cases in the short term. However, with the current reduction in citizen mobility and the increase in the frequency of screening, it will help to screen out all potential sources of infection in the population and eliminate the hidden dangers of epidemic transmission.

The second reason is that some new risk points have emerged, such as the Optoelectronic Park in the High-tech Zone and the JD Logistics Park in Baqiao District. Due to the high density of personnel and high mobility, the cases have spread to a wide range and the number of reported cases has increased rapidly in a short period of time. We have quickly taken control measures for these risk points. With the implementation of various lockdown measures, the epidemic in these areas will be effectively controlled.

At the press conference, Wei Xiaoli also reminded Xi'an citizens not to worry too much about the rapid increase in confirmed cases in the short term. The purpose of nucleic acid screening at this stage is to find and control cases through nucleic acid screening. The more solid this work is, the more beneficial it will be for the overall prevention and control work. I hope everyone will follow the community's arrangements and participate in nucleic acid testing on time. When participating in nucleic acid screening, you must wear a mask and keep a "one-meter line" distance; at other times, stay at home, don't visit or chat, and minimize the flow and gathering of people.

Will the situation of this round of epidemic in Xi'an further worsen?

Huashang Daily reporter interviewed Shi Bingyin, a professor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University. Shi Bingyin said that some potential infections have not been discovered, so it is normal for the number to increase in the past two days. Shi Bingyin said that the high number of confirmed cases should improve soon, and it is estimated that it will take about a week for the number of newly confirmed cases to decrease.

What type of cases are mostly confirmed in this round of epidemic in Xi'an?

Talking about the local epidemic in Xi'an, Shi Bingyin said that so far, there are only a few confirmed severe cases. The vast majority of confirmed cases this time are mild cases. Many people have no symptoms and were found to be infected with the new coronavirus through nucleic acid testing. From this, it can be seen that the impact of this round of virus on human health is much smaller. Shi Bingyin said that on the one hand, the virus is iteratively mutating, and on the other hand, the vaccination rate of the public is extremely high, and the human body's immunity to the virus has increased. Even if infected with the new coronavirus, the symptoms are very mild.

Why does Xi'an carry out multiple rounds of nucleic acid screening?

Zhang Yi, director of the Institute of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control of Shaanxi Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview with a reporter from Shaanxi Daily that only through large-scale nucleic acid screening of the population can potential cases be discovered quickly, risk areas and key populations be identified and targeted, and targeted control measures be taken in a timely manner to block the spread of the epidemic.

Specifically, on the one hand, because the new coronavirus has a certain incubation period, and sampling is only a time point, if there is no detoxification during sampling or the virus concentration is not enough at the time, it is lower than the detection limit, it may not be detected, especially for asymptomatic infected persons, the early detoxification level is not high, and the virus concentration in the body is very low. On the other hand, factors such as the depth and location of the pharyngeal swab collection and the time of contact between the pharyngeal swab and the mucosa during sampling will also affect the accuracy of the results. If the sampling method is not standardized and the appropriate part is not collected, missed detection may occur. In addition, Xi'an has a large population base, and it is often difficult to screen out all infected persons with only a few rounds of nucleic acid testing. Therefore, it is very necessary to carry out multiple rounds of large-scale nucleic acid testing to detect new crown cases and asymptomatic infections as early as possible and implement precise prevention and control.

The epidemic situation in Xi'an is severe. When will the turning point come?

At present, the epidemic situation in Xi'an is severe. When will the turning point appear? Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in an interview with the media that it is expected that the epidemic in Xi'an will be blocked by mid-January, and it is entirely possible to control it by late January.

Starting from 00:00 on December 27, Xi'an City further strengthened its epidemic prevention and control measures. Except for participating in nucleic acid sampling as required, all residents are not allowed to leave their homes or gather.

A courier drives on the roundabout outside Yongning Gate in Xi'an on December 28. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Ming

On December 28, staff members fed pigeons at Xi'an Xincheng Square. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Ming

On December 28, sanitation workers disinfected trash cans on Wenyi Road in Xi'an. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Ming

The Tang Dynasty City That Never Sleeps in Xi'an was photographed on December 28 (drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Ming

The area around the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an was taken on December 28 (drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Ming

An overpass on the South Second Ring Road in Xi'an taken on December 28 (drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Ming

A closed subway station in Xi'an was photographed on December 28. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Ming

The area near Yongning Gate in Xi'an was photographed on December 28 (drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Ming

Zhang Boli said: "For the situation in Xi'an, we still need to strictly guard against it, and we need to actively conduct screening to control the patients and block it as soon as possible. I estimate that it will take one to one and a half cycles, that is, it can be blocked around mid-January, and it can be completely controlled by January 20th. I think it is still entirely possible."

Source: Xinhua News Agency, China Government Network, Xinhuanet Sichuan Channel, China Weather Network, etc.