英语新闻｜新冠动态清零政策仍是最佳选择｜COVID dynamic clearance policy still best option

The Omicron variant's high transmissibility, China's relatively low booster shot coverage for the elderly, and the enormous pressure on the medical system if restrictions are lifted prematurely are some of the reasons why the country must adhere to the dynamic zero-COVID policy, experts said.

专家表示，考虑到奥密克戎变异株的高传染性，我国老年人群疫苗加强针接种率相对较低以及如果过早放松管控，医疗系统将面临的巨大压力，中国必须坚持动态清零政策。

Shenzhen, a mega city with over 17 million inhabitants, managed to tame its Omicron outbreak within a month, which boosted public confidence in dynamic clearance as an effective way of combating mutated strains of SARS-CoV-2, they added.

专家补充道，深圳这个拥有1700万居民的特大城市在一个月内成功控制了奥密克戎疫情，这增强了公众对动态清零是抗击SARS-CoV-2 Omicron变异株的有效方法的信心。

China is currently grappling with its biggest COVID-19 challenge since the early days of the pandemic. Last month, over 100,000 cases were recorded in 29 provincial-level regions, many of which were caused by the more transmissible Omicron variant, according to the National Health Commission.

中国目前正在努力应对自新冠疫情早期以来的最大挑战。据卫健委消息，3月1日至31日，29个省级地区共报告超10万例新增病例，其中多为传播性更强的奥密克戎变异株引起的。

This has rekindled public debate over whether China should pivot from its dynamic clearance strategy and start "living with COVID" as many other countries do, based on the assumption that Omicron causes less severe illness.

这重新引发了公众的争论，即中国是否应该从其动态清零策略中抽身，像许多国家一样，基于奥密克戎变异株重症患者率较低的假设，开始“与新冠共存”。

Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission, said in an article published by the commission last week that even if the Omicron variant has caused more asymptomatic infections and mild cases, allowing it to run rampant among China's 1.4 billion people could be catastrophic for the country.

国家卫健委主任马晓伟在上周卫健委发布的一篇文章中称，尽管奥密克戎感染者多为无症状感染者和轻症病例，放任它在中国的14亿人口中传播的后果将是灾难性的。

Ma said the core focus of the dynamic clearance strategy is to swiftly and accurately stamp out each outbreak before it gains momentum. It is not the pursuit of preventing infections from happening, he added.

马晓伟表示，动态清零策略的核心是在出现规模性反弹之前快速精准地扑灭疫情，并不是追求绝对零感染。

Medical cost

医疗成本

In December, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention published a study that incorporated real world pandemic scenarios, epidemiological models, and China's medical resources to examine how a COVID-19 outbreak would play out in China if it followed other countries' coexistence strategies.

12月，中国疾病预防控制中心发表了一项研究，该研究结合了现实世界的大流行情况、流行病学模型和中国的医疗资源，研究如果中国遵循其他国家的共存策略，新冠疫情将会如何发展。

The study found that if China adopted the control and prevention strategies of the United States, even under the most optimistic conditions, the country would register more than 637,000 daily cases, including over 22,000 severe ones.

该研究发现，如果中国采用美国的防疫策略，即使在最乐观的条件下，中国每日的新增病例数也会超过63.7万例，包括2.2万多个严重病例。

If China were to follow the United Kingdom, Israel, France or Spain, the number of daily new cases would range from 275,000 to 454,000, depending on the referenced country, along with 9,680 to 15,900 severe cases, the study said.

该研究称，如果中国效仿英国、以色列、法国的西班牙的防疫策略，每日新增病例数将在27.5万至45.4万之间，同时伴有9680至15900例严重病例，具体数据取决于参考国家。

The availability of medical treatment facilities would also present China with a major challenge. Last year, China had around 4.3 intensive care unit beds per 100,000 people, far lower than the rate in developed countries like the US, according to data from the Fudan University's School of Public Health.

医疗资源的配置情况也将给中国带来重大挑战。据复旦大学公共卫生学院的数据，2021年，中国每10万常住人口综合ICU床位数约为4.3张，远远低于美国等发达国家水平。

The China CDC's study concluded that if the country were to fully embrace other nations' coexistence strategies, the number of severely ill patients would quickly overwhelm its health system.

中国疾控中心总结称，如果中国完全接受其他国家的共存策略，重病患者的数量将对我国的医疗系统造成毁灭性的冲击。

Many people consider the Omicron variant weaker than other COVID variants. However, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China CDC, said at a news briefing on Wednesday that data from the recent Hong Kong outbreak showed that the variant can still wreak havoc due to its high transmissibility.

许多人认为奥密克戎变异株比其他新冠病毒变异株毒性更弱。然而，中国疾控中心首席流行病学家吴尊友在周三的新闻发布会上说，香港近期疫情的数据显示，由于传染性强、传播速度快，奥密克戎仍然可以造成严重破坏。

As of Tuesday, over 1.16 million people out of the 7.6 million residents in the special administrative region had been infected, Wu said. The city has also recorded over 8,100 deaths, mostly seniors with underlying health conditions.

吴尊友表示，截至周二，香港特别行政区的760万居民中，有116万多人感染。其中有8,100多例死亡病例，大多数是有潜在健康问题的老年人。

Fatality rate

死亡率

The death toll in the latest outbreak is far bigger than the combined number of the previous four outbreaks in Hong Kong, Wu said.

由奥密克戎引发的香港第五波疫情造成的死亡人数，比其前四波疫情造成的死亡总数还高出很多。

Experts have also studied UK and US health data collected between August and October last year, when the Delta variant was the dominant strain, as well as data from November to January this year, when the Omicron variant became the dominant COVID strain in those countries.

专家研究了去年8月至10月期间收集的英国和美国由疫情造成的死亡人数数据，即德尔塔毒株流行为主，以及今年11月至1月的数据，即奥密克戎毒株流行为主。

Studies have shown that while the Omicron variant is weaker, the number of deaths caused by Omicron is greater than that of Delta because it spreads quickly and infects a large number of people. This means the impact of the Omicron variant has not diminished the dangers of COVID, Wu explained.

吴尊友称，尽管奥密克戎变异株致病率较低，但是由于传播迅速，奥密克戎变异株流行造成的死亡人数高于同期德尔塔变异株造成的死亡人数。这意味着奥密克戎变异株并未减少新冠病毒带来的危害。

He said the Chinese mainland has a low COVID-19 mortality rate due to early detection and quarantine measures to limit the outbreak, preventing it from creating a spike of infections that can strain the medical system.

与国外相比，我们国家新冠肺炎病死率低的原因是一直在采取多项措施预防或减少死亡。早发现疫情，把疫情控制在最小范围，完全规避了大量病例出现对医疗资源挤兑造成的死亡。

Wang Guiqiang, head of the infectious disease department at Peking University First Hospital, said on Wednesday that the Omicron variant is only relatively less severe compared with other COVID strains. However, the overall harm it causes can be higher than that of influenza, especially to seniors who are unvaccinated or aren't fully inoculated.

会上，北京大学第一医院感染疾病科主任王贵强介绍，奥密克戎毒株毒力下降是相对既往毒株而言，目前看它的危害性仍然高于流感，尤其对未接种疫苗或没有全程接种疫苗的老年人。

Wang said the latest outbreak in Hong Kong has a fatality rate of roughly 0.7 percent, which is far higher than that of flu. "We cannot drop our guard and be careless," he said, adding that it is paramount to carry out effective epidemic control measures and vaccinate older people.

香港特区数据显示目前病死率是0.7%，这个病死率远高于流感的病死率。“目前我们不能麻痹大意，一方面，要采取积极有效的防控策略。另一方面，一定要积极推动疫苗接种，加强疫苗接种力度，尤其是老年人、有基础病的。”

Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, said last month that as of March 17, 80 percent of people ages 60 to 79 had been fully inoculated, but only 50.7 percent of seniors aged 80 and older were.

3月18日，国家卫生健康委副主任曾益新在国新办举行从严抓好疫情防控工作新闻发布会上称，截至3月17日，在60-79岁的老年人群中，完成全程基础免疫的人数比例为80％，80岁以上完成全程接种的比例才50.7%。

About 56.4 percent of people ages 60 to 69 had received a follow-up booster shot. This figure dropped to 48.4 percent for those ages 70 to 79, and 19.7 percent for those above 80.About 757 million people, or 54 percent of the population, had received a booster shot as of Tuesday.

在60-69岁、70-79岁、80岁以上的老年人群中，完成加强免疫的人数比例分别为56.4%、48.4%和19.7%。截至4月5日，全国累计报告完成加强免疫接种7亿569.3万人，覆盖人数占全国总人口的54%。

According to a study published by the University of Hong Kong last month, booster shots are extremely effective in reducing the risk of severe disease and mortality for seniors against the Omicron variant. Three shots of the inactivated CoronaVac vaccine could provide a protection rate above 98 percent.

上个月香港大学在本轮奥密克戎疫情中的疫苗有效性研究成果显示，加强针可以非常有效地降低奥密克戎突变株重症和致死风险。接种完三针疫苗后，新冠死亡的风险下降到2%。

"It is imperative for the senior population, especially those from the oldest age group, to get vaccinated and booster shots," Zeng said.

曾益新表示，全程接种、加强免疫接种对于老年人特别对于高龄老年人是非常有价值的。

Local success

深圳“动态清零”胜利

On Wednesday, the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission announced that it had recorded zero local cases in the past three days, signaling the outbreak caused by the Omicron variant that began on March 9 is now fully under control.

深圳市卫健委于周三宣称，本土病例在过去三天内已清零，这表明自3月9日以来，由奥密克戎变异株引起的疫情已完全得到控制。

The result is proof that the dynamic zero-COVID policy can control even the most difficult pathogen if carried out properly. Shenzhen health authorities said they will remain levelheaded and vigilant to ensure the outbreak doesn't rebound.

这一情况表明，有效实施动态清零政策，可以控制毒性最强的新冠病毒。深圳卫生部门表示，他们将保持清醒和警觉以确保疫情不会反弹。

Decisive and meticulous quarantine measures, early mass screening, a young and highly vaccinated population, strong logistics and effective public communication are reasons for Shenzhen's success, experts said.

专家认为，果断严格的隔离措施、早期大规模的核酸筛查、多年轻人群、高疫苗接种率、强大的后勤工作及有效的公众沟通都是深圳“清零”成功的原因。

Lu Hongzhou, president of the Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, said during an online lecture on Monday that China should uphold the dynamic zero-COVID strategy in the foreseeable future given how the Omicron variant is still rapidly mutating. Lu said the newly discovered XE variant has the potential to be more transmissible and lead to another wave of outbreaks.

深圳市第三人民医院院长卢洪洲周一在线上讲座中表示，鉴于奥密克戎病毒仍在不断变异，中国在未来仍应坚持动态清零政策。他认为新变种XE传染性可能更强，或将导致新一轮疫情。

Given how the Omicron variant mostly targets the upper airway, Lu said it is important to develop nasal sprays and inhaled vaccines that can protect this part of the body.

因奥密克戎变种主要引发上呼吸道症状，卢洪州提出推广鼻腔喷雾和吸入型疫苗，以保护身体健康。

wreak

英[riːk];美[riːk ]

vt.造成（巨大的破坏或伤害）；施行（报复）

havoc

英 [ˈhævək]; 美 [ˈhævək]

n.灾难，混乱

v.严重破坏；<旧>严重破坏

diminish

英 [dɪ'mɪnɪʃ]；美 [dɪˈmɪnɪʃ]

v.减少；削弱；减小；贬低

nasal

英 [ˈneɪzl]；美 [ˈneɪzl]

adj.鼻的；（嗓音，话语）带鼻音的；（语音）鼻音的

n.鼻音；<史>（头盔上的）护鼻

inhale

英 [ɪnˈheɪl]；美 [ɪnˈheɪl]

vt.吸入，吸气；<美，非正式>狼吞虎咽，大吃大嚼

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英语新闻｜新冠动态清零政策仍是最佳选择