The speed of the spread of the "Omikejong strain" may be underestimated.
According to the news released by the website of the South African Presidential Office, on the morning of December 12, President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for the new crown virus and is currently being monitored by the South African Military Health Agency under the South African Defence Force, and has entrusted all affairs to Vice President Mabuza next week.
In addition, the British government has suddenly become nervous, and the WARNING level of the new crown epidemic in the United Kingdom has been raised from level 3 to level 4 to cope with the rapid spread of the Olmikron strain in the country. On December 13, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the UK is currently facing the "tsunami" of TheOmilon, and at least one person in the United Kingdom has died after contracting the Omiljun strain. This is the first case confirmed by the British government to die from the "Olmikron strain".
Under the ravages of the "Omikejong strain", Behind the successive emergencies in South Africa and the United Kingdom, it may be closely related to the decline in the effectiveness of vaccine protection. According to a laboratory data in South Africa, the effectiveness of 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine against the "Omiljung strain" is only 22.5%.
It is worth vigilance that Chinese mainland also detected the "Omikejong strain" for the first time. On the evening of December 13, Tianjin Daily reported that the Tianjin Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted whole genome sequencing and sequence analysis of the new coronavirus on the respiratory specimens of asymptomatic infected people imported from outside Tianjin on December 9, and after review by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it was confirmed that the New Coronavirus Omiljung variant (B.1.1.529 evolutionary branch) was detected. Those infected in Tianjin are closed-loop control personnel in Tianjin and are currently isolated and treated in designated hospitals. It is reported that this is the first time that the new coronavirus Olmi kerong variant has been found in the Chinese mainland.
On the evening of December 13, a big news also came from the new energy track. Volkswagen, Europe's largest automaker, has officially announced that it will invest about 2 billion euros (about 14 billion yuan) in Salzgitter, Germany, in its own battery production. A-share listed company - Guoxuan Hi-Tech (002074) or will fully benefit, according to the previous report, Volkswagen's battery factory in Salzgitter, Germany, will also cooperate with Guoxuan Hi-Tech, according to the construction plan, the battery factory plans to start producing batteries in 2025.
Omikron "Tsunami"
With the rapid spread of the "Omikejong strain", the worst of the epidemic situation in South Africa has emerged.
According to CCTV News, on the evening of December 12, local time, the website of the South African Presidential Office released a message saying that in the morning, President Cyril Ramaphosa felt unwell, and then his new crown virus test result was positive, and he is currently being monitored by the South African Military Health Agency under the South African Defence Force, and is now self-isolating in Cape Town, and entrusting all the affairs of the next week to Vice President Mabuza.
At present, the epidemic situation in South Africa is still very serious. According to the latest data released by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases of South Africa, the number of new confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in South Africa in a single day was 37,875, setting a record for the highest single-day new case since the outbreak. In addition, the "Omikejong Mutant Strain" is spreading rapidly in South Africa, becoming the leading strain of the new crown virus in the country in just 2 weeks. In Gauteng, the "epicenter" of the outbreak in South Africa, new infections surged by 400% in the first week of December, with more than 90% of infections triggered by the Aumechjong strain.
In the face of the fierce spread of the "Omikejong strain", the United Kingdom, which is the most "calm" in the fight against the epidemic this year, has also become nervous.
On 12 December, the UK Department of Health and Social Health issued an urgent announcement that the UK's COVID-19 alert level was upgraded from Level 3 to Level 4 to cope with the rapid spread of the Aumechjong strain in the country.
It is reported that the NEW CROWN epidemic warning system set up in the United Kingdom is divided into 5 levels, and the higher the level, the stricter the government needs to take measures against the epidemic. Level 4 means "the virus is contagious and the immediate pressures of the outbreak on healthcare services are widespread and significant or on the rise"; level 5 is the highest level, representing the authority's government's belief that the UK healthcare system is about to be overwhelmed.
The UK has suddenly raised the alarm level of the epidemic, mainly because the number of infection cases of the "Omiljun strain" infection in the UK is surging. According to a joint statement issued by four chief medical officers in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales on the same day, the new crown virus spread rapidly in the British community, and although the Delta strain still dominates at present, the emergence of the Aumequeron strain adds an additional and rapidly rising risk to the country's public and medical services.
Preliminary evidence shows that the transmission rate of the Aumequeron strain is much faster than that of the Delta strain, and the AstraZeneca vaccine and Pfizer vaccine, which are mainly vaccinated in the United Kingdom, have reduced the protective effect of the "AstraZeneca vaccine" infection. Hospitalizations have now occurred in the cases of "Omiljun strain" infection, and the number is likely to increase rapidly.
The UK Health Security Agency predicts that if growth continues at the current rate, by mid-December, the Omikejung strain will account for more than 50% of the new cases in the UK, becoming the main strain spreading in the country.
Subsequently, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Boris Johnson) issued an urgent warning that the United Kingdom is currently facing the "Tsunami" of Aumekeron, and it is necessary to accelerate the implementation of the vaccination plan for residents, 2 doses of vaccine is simply not enough, and will launch the "Omikeron Emergency Enhancement Needle National Mission".
Reuters reported that the average single-day new case in the UK has exceeded 50,000 in the past seven days, the highest peak since January this year. As of December 12, local time, the cumulative number of deaths in the UK reached 146439, making the UK the country with the largest number of COVID-19 deaths in the entire European region.
On December 13, Johnson said at least one person in the UK had died after contracting the Omiljun strain. This is the first case confirmed by the British government to die from the "Olmikron strain". Johnson further said that at present, the "Omikeron strain" infection cases account for 40% of the new crown cases in London, and the possibility of introducing new epidemic prevention restrictions before Christmas is not ruled out.
The effectiveness of the two doses of the Pfizer vaccine has dropped significantly
Under the ravages of the "Omikejong strain", Behind the successive emergencies in South Africa and the United Kingdom, it may be closely related to the decline in the effectiveness of vaccine protection.
According to a laboratory data in South Africa, Pfizer's 2 doses of the new crown vaccine are only 22.5% effective in preventing symptomatic infections of the "Omikejong strain", which can only prevent severe diseases.
The study analyzed plasma samples from 12 participants, and the scientists found that people who received 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine had 41-fold lower levels of neutralizing antibodies against the "Omiljun strain" compared to the original strain.
The study notes that this essentially undermines the vaccine's ability to prevent infection, but it is still effective in preventing severe disease. At the same time, a joint statement by a number of chief medical officers in the United Kingdom also said that the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines have reduced the protective effect against symptomatic infections of the "Omiljun strain". In addition, Mary Ramsay, head of immunization at the UK Health Security Agency, said that the data show that a few months after receiving the second dose of Pfizer, people will have a higher risk of contracting the Omiljung strain than the Delta strain.
An analysis of 581 cases of Infection with Aomi kerong showed that 2 doses of AstraZeneca or Pfizer were well below the level of protection against delta strains.
Therefore, in order to prevent the crazy spread of the "Omikeron strain", the United Kingdom and South Africa must vigorously promote the vaccine to strengthen the needle. Citing a preliminary study, the UK Health Security Agency said that by vaccinating a booster needle, about 70% to 75% of people are protected from mild diseases caused by the "Omikeron strain".
According to the findings disclosed by the UK Health Security Agency, although the 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine are not effective against the Omexon strain, the booster needle restores a certain degree of protective efficacy.
However, when vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, the effectiveness of the "Omiljun strain" can be increased to 70%-75%, but in contrast, the protective effect of the vaccinated booster vaccine on the Delta strain is about 90%, which means that the risk of the Omiljun strain is still stronger.
This will also change market expectations to some extent, and the process of vaccination of the third vaccine in the world may be accelerated. Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, pointed out that the third dose of vaccine has 25 times more neutralizing antibodies to the "Omilon strain" than the first two doses, which is expected to accelerate the pace of global access to the third dose.
More aggressively, Albert Bourla said that people may need to get a fourth dose sooner than expected, having previously expected a fourth dose within 12 months of the third dose, and now it looks like a faster dose may be needed.
Big news for new energy
On the evening of December 13, a big news also came from the new energy track. Volkswagen, Europe's largest automaker, has officially announced that it will invest about 2 billion euros (about 14 billion yuan) in Salzgitter, Germany, in its own battery production.
From Volkswagen's just statement, it can be seen that the time point and investment amount have exceeded previous expectations, which means that Volkswagen's new energy plan is accelerating.
Earlier this year, the Volkswagen Group released its strategic plan for 2030. By then, electric vehicles are expected to account for 50% of its global car sales, and around 2025, the group plans to invest 150 billion euros in areas such as batteries and software; by 2030, the Volkswagen Group will build six large battery factories in Europe, when the total annual production capacity of these battery factories will reach 240 gigawatt hours.
It is worth mentioning that under Volkswagen's ambitious new energy plan, the A-share listed company - Guoxuan Hi-Tech (002074) will fully benefit, and the latest data show that the market value of Guoxuan Hi-Tech has exceeded 100 billion. On the evening of December 12, Guoxuan Hi-Tech announced that the company issued non-public shares to a specific target, Volkswagen China, and after the completion of the issuance, the number of shares held by Volkswagen China in Guoxuan Hi-Tech increased to 441 million shares, and the shareholding ratio increased to 26.47%, becoming the company's largest shareholder.
This means that Volkswagen will play a very important role in promoting its new energy strategy. In July this year, Guoxuan Hi-Tech signed a memorandum of understanding with Volkswagen Group to develop the first generation of standard batteries for Volkswagen Group, becoming the first designated developer of standard battery cell research and development. Just one week later, Guoxuan Hi-Tech signed a cooperation agreement with Hefei High-tech Zone to build a 20GWh power battery production base in the high-tech zone, focusing on the production and manufacturing of Volkswagen's standard batteries.
According to previous reports, Volkswagen's battery factory in Salzgitter, Germany, will also cooperate with Guoxuan Hi-Tech, according to the construction plan, the battery factory plans to start producing batteries in 2025.
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