Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Translation of external news on disease control and Taiwan
News (1)
Foreign variant viruses are coming fiercely. The first "Colombian mutant strain" appears in Taiwan
Editor : Li Jiayan / Image : Luo Yijun, deputy leader of the medical response group of the Central Epidemic Command Center . (Photo/TVBS)
Taiwan’s covid epidemic is slowing down. Local confirmed cases and imported cases have been in single digits for several consecutive days. However, the Central Epidemic Command Center announced today (13 August) that the number of confirmed cases imported from abroad has surged to double digits. A total of 14 new cases were added, of which 6 were genetically sequenced as variant viruses, 4 are Delta variants, 1 is Alpha variants, and 1 is the first Colombian variant to appear in Taiwan. So far, Taiwan has a total of 7 different variants.
The command centre explained that today there are 14 new cases of overseas immigration, 7 males and 7 females, aged in their 20s to 60s, from Dubai (Case 15929), the United States (6 cases: Cases 15932, 15935, 15937-15939, 15944), Cambodia (2 cases: Cases 15933, 15934), China (Case 15936), Vietnam (Case 15940), Indonesia (Case 15942 ), India (Case 15943) and Thailand (Case 15945) entered the country. The entry date was between 30 July and 11 August.
Luo Yijun, deputy leader of the medical response team of the Command Center, said that of the 14 newly added overseas cases today, 6 have genetically sequenced variant viruses, 4 of which are Delta mutations The strains were from the United Kingdom, the United States, Malaysia, and Israel. One case was an Alpha variant returned to Taiwan from the mainland, and another was a special case with a sequence of B.1.621, which is the first Colombian variant tested in Taiwan.
Up to now there are a total of 55 cases of genetically sequenced Covi72 in Taiwan, of which 13 cases are related to the Pingtung cluster case, and there are a total of 42 cases overseas, including the 4 newly added cases today.
News (2)
Inbound case with Colombian variant vaccinated twice with Pfizer
As for the first Colombian variant in Taiwan, a female in her 60s (case 15858) who returned to Taiwan from the United States was infected with the disease. She had previously been vaccinated with two doses of Pfizer on 5 and 26 July. After being vaccinated, she entered Taiwan on 3 August, and the entry test was positive, with a CT value of 29. After sequencing, it was determined to be B.1.621, a Colombian variant. She was moved to the hospital for negative pressure isolation every night, and the CT value of the test also increased to 35, and the amount of the virus decreased.
However, the patient has been asymptomatic so far, so it can be regarded as an asymptomatic confirmed patient who is still infected after the vaccination.
Image: Today, the confirmed cases of COVID-19, 4 new cases of local and 14 new cases of overseas immigration. (Photo/Central Epidemic Command Center)
News (3)
Colombian variant is B.1.621 (Covi21) found in at least 28 countries
Luo Yijun explained that the Colombian variant currently has no Greek alphabet attribution, so it can only be called B.1.621 first (StayGate labels it as Covi21). It was first detected in Colombia in January and the World Health Organization in May. Taiwan has added it to the list of mutant strains. At present, 28 countries have tested B.1.621. Among them, 2% of the infected virus in the United States is Colombian mutant. It also proliferates in European countries.
News (4)
7 Belgian elders infected with Covi21
Luo Yijun also mentioned that a few days ago, foreign telegraphs reported that seven vaccinated elders in a nursing home in Belgium were collectively infected with the Colombian variant / B.1.621 (Covi21). Although there is no evidence in the relevant literature to show that this mutant has serious infectious power or lethality, it has genes characteristic of the South African mutant, and the British mutant gene. It is speculated that it may have an effect on transmission and vaccine resistance.
News (5)
Taiwan's sequencing breakdown of foreign covi variants
Luo Yijun finally added that from 2 July to 13 August, there were 127 cases of overseas immigration in Taiwan, of which 35 cases were genetically sequenced as Delta variants, accounting for 28%. So far, a total of 7 different variants have been found in Taiwan, including 39 cases of British variants, 6 South African variants, 42 Delta variants, 6 Brazilian variants, 2 Philippines variants, 5 California variants, plus 1 Colombian variant added today.
News (6)
China Airlines and Novotel clusters after more than 3 months. Chen Shizhong: Not related to the community
Reporter : Ye Weichen
The local epidemic broke out in mid-May, and the time was very close to the relaxation of crew quarantine regulations. 3+11 was very close. Afterwards, China Airlines pilots and Novotel Hotel were clustered and infected. The outside world pointed the finger at this.
When the commander of the Central Epidemic Command Centre answered a question yesterday (12 August), he mentioned that “3+11” was not a breach. Today (13 August), he took a lot of time to proactively explain that he emphasized that the cluster incident has passed. After 3 months, after epidemic reconciliation and inspection, no correlation with community infection was found.
Image : Cases related to the infection incident of China Airlines pilots and their associated diagrams. (Photo/Central Epidemic Command Center)
Commander Chen Shizhong showed the China Airlines pilot case correlation diagram. The cases occurred in April and May, including 1 pilot who was diagnosed in Australia, 14 crew members who were diagnosed in China, and the rest were all including a family member who lives with him. This Indonesian pilot who was diagnosed in Australia went to a mosque with colleagues and family members. The surrounding personnel have been tested and investigated and there is no infection.
As for a total of 7 staff members of the China Airlines Novotel Hotel were diagnosed, the number of family members who lived with them was 3. The incident involving the pilot and the hotel, including the 412 people who were sent to a centralized quarantine after the hotel was emptied at the end of April. A total of 1,790 people were tested, and none of them were diagnosed with workplace contacts or community contacts outside the home.
Chen Shizhong denied that 3+11 caused the infection of Novotel employees, because the shorter the crew’s stay, the less chance of infection. On the other hand, 3+11 means that the contact time between Novotel employees and the crew is also shorter.
Image : Cases related to the infection incident in Novotel hotel and their associated diagrams. (Photo/Central Epidemic Command Center)
Chen Shizhong emphasized that the source of the infection should be from abroad, causing the infection inside, but in this, the exact relationship between the hotel room staff 1120 and the pilot is difficult to understand. To really clarify, it is just that here, the employees and the people who live there are infected with the disease, and the infection is also transmitted to the family members who live with it. This is the case. He said that it was indeed a mass incident.
After three and a half months, the impact on the community has been extensively investigated, and no evidence of the infection can be found. In particular, hotel employees were diagnosed on 10 May while family members were the last case on 12 May, which is not connected to the present.
News (7)
Vaccinated twice! Vietjet's ground handling self-purchased "quick screen" positive for the second diagnosis in the emergency department
Reporter : Ye Weichen
Image : Vietjet Air ground handling has been Two doses of AZ are still diagnosed. (The schematic diagram is not supposed to be ground staff/Flip the Facebook of VietJet Air Taiwan’s general agent)
According to the exclusive knowledge of "TVBS News", he had actually been vaccinated with two doses of AZ vaccine because he felt unwell and was positive after using the quick screening. He was diagnosed only after going to the hospital for medical treatment.
Chen Shizhong, the commander of the Central Epidemic Command Centre, explained that this ground staff usually has a part-time job, so there are quarantined personnel in both workplaces. It is understood that this confirmed patient has received two doses of vaccines and has experienced respiratory symptoms a few days ago. Therefore, he went to a supermarket to purchase a home rapid screening.
The test was positive when used by himself. Therefore, he went to the emergency department for medical treatment, but the result was negative for the first time. He did not worry, so he did a second test, and it became positive again, with a Ct value of 26, which still did not reach the standard of 30 for isolation.
Since foreign airlines currently have relatively few flights and all employees have few working days, they still work in groups. Finally, the working day at Taoyuan Airport was in August. He used to go to work at the same time as the agent airline "Eva Air" personnel. In addition to colleagues in the same group, EVA Air also has some ground crews isolated.
Translation of external news on CCP
News (8) to (11) / Host : Li Dayu / Publisher : Dayu News Insider / Editor : Li Hao / / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/8/13/n13159054.htm
News (8)
The short film admonishing "Don't use an umbrella at the high-speed rail platform" is on fire. The reason is terrible
In mid-July, a short film in China spread like wildfire on the Internet and spread. Recently, it has been moved to the Internet. It is an attentive netizen who reminds people not to use umbrellas on high-speed rail platforms in China. Because the power of the high-speed rail is provided by the cable above the train track, the voltage of that cable exceeds 10,000 volts and there is a large magnetic field.
Usually, this high-voltage transmission line is almost 4 m away from the passengers on the platform, which may not be a problem, but once the umbrella is propped up, it is easy to enter a dangerous contact distance. In this video, there were four people in Xuzhou, China. After holding up their umbrellas, even the people with umbrellas were sucked onto the power grid, causing serious electric shocks. Because of the proximity to the strong magnetic field, both the umbrella and the person became conductors and were attracted to them.
So this is a reminder from an enthusiastic netizen in China, but isn't it? There are also different opinions in the mainland. Some industry experts really affirmed it, but some media have come out to refute the rumours. On 19 July, some media interviewed the Chengdu Railway Group Corporation of the Communist Party of China. When asked about this, people from this company said that the power grid for high-speed rail trains is indeed high-voltage equipment. It is best to be at least 2 m away from it, which is equal to I affirmed the idea of staying away from the power grid in the short video, but the company’s response denied that someone got an electric shock because of an umbrella. In addition, some experts said that the possibility of electric shock is very low.
Of course, the Chinese Communist Party has always reported major events, not minor issues, but at least one thing is certain, that is, in order to protect yourself, regardless of whether you use an umbrella or not, friends in mainland China should stay away from the power grid when they take the high-speed rail.
News (9)
The Chinese military plane is afraid of rain! "South China Morning Post" leaked secrets and deleted texts?
The CCP’s official media CCTV’s program "Military and Armed Forces Zero Distance" reported on 12 August that the J-10-B fighter produced by the CCP should not be washed directly with water like a car wash, because water can easily seep into it.
The inside of the fuselage can only be used for "dry cleaning" maintenance due to uneasy rust and damage. This detail was suddenly grasped by netizens.
Everyone immediately responded and said that the CCP military plane was afraid of water. Hey, was it possible that the opponent could defeat the fighter plane with a water spray gun or a hose for watering flowers during a war? ! At least this means that CCP fighters will have concerns about fighting on rainy days.
This incident was also noticed by the Taiwanese media. Everyone immediately understood why, after 13 days of silence, the CCP’s fighter planes disturbed Taiwan for two consecutive days on 11 and 12 August. It turned out that the weather was bad and windy in the past 13 days. When it rains, the Communist Army cherishes the "feathers" and dared not take off because of the rust of military aircraft parts. It seems that there is a lot of room for improvement in all aspects of the communist army's technology.
According to the logic of the Chinese Communist Party, such reports that leaked military secrets should be deleted, at least partially, right? Two days ago, there was a report leaking "Party secrets" and it was partially deleted.
On 9 August, the South China Morning Post reported that the CCP’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was fighting wolves everywhere, inciting turmoil, provoking international disputes, making countless enemies, and even making it seem that the communist forces would come out to settle the situation, and diplomacy. The Ministry also said something similar to the weakness of the military, which caused dissatisfaction with the CCP military. Reports revealed that senior military generals told Xi Jinping that the military would not take care of the affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and refused to fight with the multinational coalition forces. This part of the corresponding report in the South China Morning Post seems to have been deleted as of today's publication.
Because this part of the news reveals the discrepancies between the CCP’s internal institutions and the inside story that Xi Jinping may not be able to command the army, it has been widely reported by overseas media. In fact, deleting it will make people feel more guilty. If you do not delete it, there may be people who suspect that this is the CCP’s internal factional struggle. A certain faction has purposefully released some information. The true and false have yet to be verified, but this once deleted, on the contrary, it is basically solid.
News (10)
Zhang Wenhong gets more supporters
The CCP likes to delete texts written by dissidents. In fact, it often engages in "Oolong" and often deletes what it sends out. Two days ago, a small media under the "People's Daily" published an article by the former Minister of Health Gao Qiang who criticized Zhang Wenhong without naming it, but it was later deleted.
However, although the "previous article" of the official media has been deleted, it must not be sent out aimlessly.
You may want to measure the water temperature, because on 10 August, the CCP's "Seeking Truth" magazine posted on its official Weibo once again. The article mentioned that the virus epidemic is a major test of the so-called "value position" of the CCP. The West advocates that the epidemic is just a "large flu", which makes the public downplay the risk and may cause the epidemic to get out of control.
In June of this year, Zhang Wenhong said at a global exchange forum in Shanghai that the spread of the CCP virus is very close to that of influenza, but the case fatality rate exceeds that of influenza, and Zhang Wenhong also used the term "large flu" to say infection. People who have recovered from the virus may also be infected again, either like a large flu, a small flu or a common cold. On July 29, Zhang Wenhong also said that in the future, China’s anti-epidemic model must achieve interoperability with the world, return to normal life, and learn to coexist with the virus for a long time.
These views of Zhang Wenhong are precisely why the outside world believes that the CCP's official media articles are aimed at him.
However, in China, some people came out to support Zhang Wenhong and held similar views with him. For example, someone published an article titled "You can't even contain Zhang Wenhong", and Chinese vascular surgery expert Zhang Qiang, after Zhang Wenhong was recently criticized by name, publicly posted a photo with Zhang Wenhong on his personal Weibo to express support , There is also Zhang Mingyang, a special commentator from the "Glacier Think Tank", who published an article titled "Let Zhang Wenhong continue to speak, the sky can't fall down" to hold on to Zhang Wenhong's injustice. In fact, these things also show that there are still many people in China who hold the same position as Zhang Wenhong.
News (11)
The head of the WHO investigation team: Patient zero may be in the WIV
From the beginning of the virus outbreak to the present, there are no shortage of people who dare to speak, sharing their different inside stories about the CCP virus to the outside world. However, the CCP itself was really tight-lipped. The World Health Organization investigation team that went to Wuhan to investigate the truth about the source of the virus at the beginning of this year also returned empty-handed after cooperating with the CCP’s performance.
However, recently, Peter Embarek, the head of the WHO investigation team who went to Wuhan to investigate, suddenly said in an interview with Danish TV that the "patient zero" of the CCP virus was in the virus laboratory in Wuhan.
He said that it cannot be ruled out that the outbreak in China in the second half of 2019 may have started with a worker in a Wuhan laboratory. He believes that this worker may have been infected while collecting biological samples of bats in the laboratory. It is at this moment that the virus begins to spread to the outside world. But he also repeatedly emphasized that this is just one of several hypotheses about the origin of the virus.
Of course, is it a direct infection by bats? Many people certainly do not accept this statement. But at least, people from the WHO have begun to openly talk about "patient zero" as a staff member of the Wuhan laboratory. This is in the outbreak of the virus. In the early days, they were regarded as conspiracy theories by many so-called medical or media authorities, but now people are facing these things squarely. This cannot but be said to be a change.
News (12)
The CCP has dumped the pot on Italy again for fear of foreign traceability investigations
The world’s attitude towards the truth about the spread of the CCP’s virus still has a line to follow. On the contrary, the CCP’s practice of waiving its responsibility for the epidemic is out of order. For a while, the propaganda was a virus leak in the United States, and for a while it was another country.
Recently, the official media People’s Daily published an article quoting a paper by an international research team, saying that in the summer of 2019, the virus had spread in Italy. This turned into Italy again, so before that, the state media and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeatedly dumped the US's stance. Are they serious? Being so disrespectful, people really appreciate its ability to shake the pot.
However, we can see from this that the CCP is absolutely unwilling to take responsibility for the spread of the virus, and the recent actions of the CCP are basically in the same process as the international traceability investigation. If there is any progress in traceability investigations in foreign countries, the CCP will also concoct something to counter foreign skepticism. As foreign investigations get closer to the truth, the CCP's actions must be greater.
Because once it is determined that he is responsible for the spread of the virus, it is not just that there may be a problem of sky-high compensation. Xi Jinping's indefinite re-election may also encounter trouble, and political enemies within the party may be attacked.
News (13) to (18) / Reporter : Peter Møller / https://nyheder.tv2.dk/udland/2021-08-12-ansat-paa-laboratorie-i-wuhan-kan-vaere-smittet-af-flagermus-som-den-foerste-siger
News (13)
An employee at a laboratory in Wuhan may be infected with bat coronavirus may be patient zero, says the Danish WHO chief
Despite the WHO's conclusion that laboratory leaks were "extremely unlikely", the chief investigator now says that patient zero may well be a laboratory employee.
The first outbreak of coronavirus in China in the fall of 2019 may well have been started by an employee at one of the city's laboratories who has been infected by a bat during fieldwork or at one of the laboratories in Wuhan.
An employee who was infected in the field by taking samples falls under one of the probable hypotheses.
Image : Peter Embarek, Head of WHO Mission to Wuhan in January 2021
This is the assessment of Peter Embarek, who was the leader of the team of experts that the World Health Organization (WHO) sent to China in the spring of 2021 to investigate the origin of the disease.
In fact, he now tells TV 2 that it belongs to one of the probable theories that a person associated with a laboratory was the first infected.
News (14)
From "extremely unlikely" to "likely"
The WHO experts otherwise published a report after the trip to China, in which the theory that the covi infection began with a discharge from a laboratory in Wuhan was described as "extremely unlikely".
In turn, according to experts, it was "likely" that the pandemic began when a bat infected a human.
And now Peter Embarek says that the infection may well have happened by collecting - or working with - bats in connection with the research that took place in Wuhan.
That is, an infected laboratory worker is a likely scenario despite the wording of the report.
An employee who was infected in the field by taking samples falls under one of the probable hypotheses. This is where the virus jumps directly from a bat to a human. In that case, it would then be a laboratory worker instead of a random villager or other person who has regular contact with bats. So it is actually in the probable category, says Peter Embarek to TV 2.
He stresses that WHO experts found no direct evidence that the coronavirus outbreak is related to the bat research conducted at Wuhan's laboratories.
He asked the management, "How old is the laboratory?" And then they said, "Well, it's from December 2019"
But the experts found several things that, according to Peter Embarek, should be investigated further.
News (15)
A difficult cooperation with China
The bats are central in the investigation of where the disease comes from, as the closest known relative to the virus, which is to blame for the pandemic, lives in horseshoe bats.
Image : A horseshoe bat on the commercial for the Wuhan Institute of Virology, made after the opening of the institute's top-secure laboratory. Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences
None of that type of horseshoe bat lives outdoors in the Wuhan area, and the only people who are known to have been close to horseshoe bats are employees of the city's laboratories.
Yet it was difficult for the WHO expert team to discuss the laboratory theory with the Chinese at all.
"Until 48 hours before we finished the whole mission, we still had no agreement that we would talk about the laboratory part of the report, so it was right up to the end that it was discussed whether it should be included or not," says Peter Embarek.
However, the experts managed to visit two laboratories in Wuhan.
Image : Bat appears in a cage in the Chinese authorities' film about Wuhan's Institute of Virology. Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Both laboratories work - or have worked - with bats, and here the Chinese authorities made sure to gather a group of employees who could answer questions.
"We did not get to look at laboratory books or documents directly from the laboratory. We got a presentation, and then we talked about and asked the questions we wanted to ask, but we did not get to look at any documentation at all," says Peter Embarek.
Image : A bat is fed in the commercial for the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which was made after the opening. Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences
News (16)
There is reason to look at the second laboratory in Wuhan
Although the top-secure laboratory at Wuhan's Institute of Virology has received the most attention, according to the head of WHO's experts, there is also reason to look at the other, which is run by the China CDC.
Peter Embarek said, "Their last publication about working with bats was from 2013, but that does not mean that they have not worked with bats since. As far as we understand, they work mostly with parasites, and not so much with viruses, so they have worked with parasites from bats."
During the visit, he made a startling consideration.
Peter Embarek asked the management, "How old is this laboratory?" And then they say: "Well, it's from December 2019. There we moved to these new laboratories on 2 December 2019".
CDC's new premises are located only 500 m from the market that was the epicenter of the pandemic in the first weeks of December 2019.
Peter Embarek added, "It is interesting that the laboratory moved on 2 December 2019. This is the period when it all started, and you know that when you move a laboratory, it is disruptive to everything."
He adds that there is a need to gather more knowledge about what has gone on if one wants to become wiser about what role the CDC's laboratory may have played.
Peter Embarek said, "You also have to move the virus collection, sample collection and other collections from one place to another. The whole procedure is always a disruptive element in a laboratory's daily workflow, so at some point it will also be interesting to look at that period and this laboratory."
News (17)
The four options on the origin of COVID-19
Peter Embarek says that the WHO's visit to Wuhan was of a scientific nature and not a real investigation.
Therefore, most of it depended on the goodwill of the Chinese.
In the beginning, they did not want anything to do with the laboratory.
Peter Embarek, Head of WHO Mission to Wuhan in January 2021 mentioned when the final report was to be written, there was also intensive negotiation with the Chinese about what might stand.
He said, "In the beginning, they did not want anything about the laboratory with, because it was impossible, and therefore one should not waste time on it. We insisted that we take it with us, because it was part of the whole problem of where the virus came from."
Image : Field workers hunt bats on the commercial for the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences
He boiled down the possible scenarios for how the pandemic began, down to four pieces.
Either a bat had infected a human directly.
Or a human being had been infected by a product that was infected with bat virus.
Or a bat had infected another animal, which had infected a human.
Or it had begun in one of Wuhan's laboratories.
News (18)
"Extremely unlikely" was a compromise
The possibility that a laboratory was involved was very difficult to get through with Peter Embarek's Chinese negotiating partner.
Peter Embarek said, "Listen now. We must have this with us, otherwise we have no report. It will not be approved or accepted as a sensible, credible report", and he could see that, but he told me also that for them it is difficult to accept that discussion about a laboratory.",
Eventually, however, it succeeded if the laboratory theory was categorized as "extremely unlikely."
News (19) to (20) / Reporter : Chen Ting / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/8/13/n13159723.htm
News (19)
Peter Embarek: The Wuhan CDC laboratory should also be checked
Earlier this year, a team of experts led by the World Health Organization (WHO) went to China to investigate the origin of COVID-19. The chief investigator of the team called on Thursday (12 August) that a laboratory near the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market should be subject to stricter inspections. He also pointed out that CCP officials had pressured the investigation team to abandon the hypothesis of laboratory leaks.
Peter Ben Embarek, a WHO expert on food safety and animal diseases, made the above point in an interview with a Danish documentary reporter (see above reports). He called on investigators to check a laboratory of the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
"What's interesting is that the laboratory was relocated on 2 December 2019, which happened to be the time when everything started to happen," Embarik said in the interview. "We all know that when the laboratory was moved, everything Will be disrupted... the whole process will always interfere with the daily work of the laboratory."
Embarek’s latest view seems to overturn the WHO statement issued in February. The WHO stated at the time that the SARS-CoV-2 (virus) / COVID-19 (disease) was "very unlikely" to leak from the Wuhan laboratory. They believe that the possibility of this event is too small to be worthy of further study.
News (20)
CCP pressures WHO experts to delete laboratory leak theory
According to the "Washington Post" report (link), Embarek admitted in an interview that the panel of experts was under pressure from China when it decided to prepare for the February statement.
Embarek said, "In the beginning, they didn't want (in the report) to have anything about the laboratory, and said it was impossible, and there was no need to waste time in this area."
"But we still insist on including this part, because it is part of the whole issue of the origin of the virus."
Embarek told Danish reporters that until 48 hours before reaching a conclusion, experts still debated whether to include the "laboratory leak" theory.
In the end, China agreed to include the laboratory leakage theory in the report, but "on the condition that we do not recommend any specific research to advance this hypothesis."
In the documentary, when asked about the "extremely unlikely" wording of the laboratory leak theory, whether it should be requested by the Chinese side, Embarek replied, "Yes, this is the classification we finally chose." He pointed out that such wording means not "totally impossible", but "impossible."
No comments:
Post a Comment