WHO Reports Record 3 Million New COVID-19 Cases in a Week
VOA News｜COVID-19 Pandemic
October 28, 2020 11:26 AM (source)
WHO Reports Record 3 Million New COVID-19 Cases in a Week
新冠肺炎確診病例創新高，世界衛生組織一週記錄300萬筆新案例
October 28, 2020 11:26 AM
VOA News
The World Health Organization says a record 2.8 million new COVID-19 cases have been reported globally over the past seven days ending Tuesday, including 40,000 new deaths.
The U.N. health agency says Europe accounts for the greatest proportion of reported new cases for the second consecutive week with more than 1.3 million, an increase of 33% compared to the previous week. The region accounted for nearly half of the new COVID-19 cases during the seven-day period.
The figures also show that cases are also increasing in the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean and African regions, while declines continue to be reported in Southeast Asia. The Western Pacific region also showed a slight decline in new cases and deaths over the seven-day period.
WHO said the countries reporting the highest number of cases over the past week are India, the United States, France, Brazil and Britain — the same countries as the previous three weeks.
The virus has even affected operations at the U.N.'s main headquarters in New York. General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir canceled all in-person meetings Tuesday after five staffers with Niger's mission to the world body tested positive for COVID-19.
The United States has posted a record 502,828 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, an average of more than 70,000 new cases. The previous record of 481,519 new cases was just recorded for the week ending October 24.
White House coronavirus task force member Admiral Brett Giroir said Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show that the surge in the U.S. is not just due to more testing, contradicting President Donald Trump's assertion that more testing has revealed more cases.
Giroir, who Trump put in charge of testing, said the proof of the increase in infections is more hospitalizations and COVID-19 deaths throughout the United States. The U.S. leads the world with more than 8.7 million total COVID-19 cases, including nearly 226,700 deaths, according to Hopkins statistics.
Giroir said the U.S. has reached "another critical point" in the response to the coronavirus crisis and urged people to wear masks, wash hands and engage in social distancing. He also said a safe and effective vaccine is "around the corner."
The U.S. Midwest has experienced a high number of new COVID-19 cases, including in the state of Illinois, where Gov. J.B. Pritzker has imposed a new round of restrictions, particularly in Chicago, the nation's third-largest city. The governor on Tuesday announced a ban on all indoor service in bars and restaurants beginning Friday at midnight.
Farther west of Chicago, Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado, has ordered restaurants and other businesses to limit the number of patrons from 50% to 25%, as the state capital posted a one-day record of 327 new coronavirus cases on Sunday.
Among the new U.S. cases is Justin Turner of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, who was pulled from Tuesday's World Series game against the Tampa Bay Rays after officials learned he had tested positive for the disease.
Turner was pulled late in the game before the Dodgers defeated the Rays 3 to 1 to win the league's season-ending championship.
In the effort to develop a new coronavirus vaccine, U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer said its large, late-stage trial of its experimental vaccine it is developing with Germany's BioNTech has not reached a key milestone, making it unlikely that it will be released before the upcoming November 3 U.S. presidential election.
The company said fewer than 32 COVID-19 infections among its 44,000 volunteers have occurred, a necessary benchmark to determine whether the drug is safe and effective.
世界衛生組織（World Health Organization）表示，截至週二（編按：2020 年 10 月 27 日）為止，全球新冠肺炎疫情在過去 7 天之中創下紀錄(record，註 1)，新增 280 萬筆確診病例，其中包括 4 萬筆死亡病例。
聯合國衛生機構（U.N. Health Agency）表示：歐洲（Europe）是這兩週內，病例新增最多的地區，一週內感染人數就超過 130 萬，比起上一週增加 33%。在 7 天內，該地區佔據了全球將近所有病例的一半。
這些數字還顯示，當美洲（The Americas）、地中海東部（Eastern Mediterranean）和非洲地區（Africa）的病例正在增加的同時，東南亞（Southeast Asia）的病例則在持續地減少。西太平洋地區（Western Pacific）新增的病例和死亡人數在 7 天的時間內也有稍微下降。
世界衛生組織說，過去一週內通報最多病例的國家分別為印度（India）、美國（United States）、法國（France）、巴西（Brazil）和英國（Britain），而這幾個國家也是前三週病例最多的國家。
疫情甚至影響了聯合國（United Nations）紐約（New York）總部的作業。大會主席沃爾坎．博茲基爾（Volkan Bozkir，音釋）因 5 名尼日民間能力建設任務（EUCAP Sahel Niger，註 2）的員工確診而取消所有須本人出席的會議。
根據約翰．霍普金斯冠狀病毒資源中心（Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center）的數據，在過去一週中，美國新增了 50 萬 2828 例的病例，平均一天增加超過 7 萬例。在此之前的紀錄為：截至 10 月 24 日那週的 48 萬 1519 例。
白宮冠狀病毒專案小組員海軍上將(admiral)布雷特．吉羅爾（Brett Giroir，音釋）週三（編按：2020 年 10 月 28 日）在美國全國廣播公司（NBC）的「今日」（Today）節目中表示，美國病例數上升並非只是因為檢測數量有了提升。這與唐納．川普（Donald Trump）總統所認為的，檢測量能提升導致確診數攀升的主張(assertion， 註 3)有所抵觸(contradict)。
由川普指示，負責檢測的吉羅爾視全美增加的住院人數和新冠肺炎死亡人數為該國確診人數上升的證明。約翰．霍普金斯冠狀病毒資源中心（Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center）的統計數據顯示，美國的新冠肺炎總病例數超過 870 萬，其中包括近 22 萬 6700 之死亡例。
吉羅爾表示，美國在應對冠狀肺炎的危機上已經來到「另一個關鍵點」。他督促人們戴口罩、洗手和保持社交距離，並進一步說道，安全有效的疫苗(vaccine)「即將來臨」。
包括伊利諾伊州（Illinois）在內，美國中西部地區面臨許多新增病例。為此，伊利諾伊州州長傑．普里茲克（J.B. Pritzker，音釋）在該州，尤其對全美第三大城的芝加哥（Chicago），增設了一輪新的限制措施(restriction)。州長於週二（編按：2020 年 10 月 27 日）宣佈，將於週五（編按：2020 年 10 月 30 日）午夜起禁止酒吧和餐廳的室內服務。
週日（編按：2020 年 10 月 25 日），位於芝加哥西部的科羅拉多州（Colorado）首府丹佛（Denver）單日新增 327 起新病例。為此，丹佛市長邁克爾．漢考克（Michael Hancock， 音釋）下令該市餐館和其他商家將其顧客(patron，註 4)人數從 50% 降至 25%。
美國職業棒球大聯盟（Major League Baseball）洛杉磯道奇隊（Los Angeles Dodgers）的賈斯汀．特納（Justin Turner）是美國新增病例中的其中一例。大聯盟在得知消息後將他拉出週二（編按：2020 年 10 月 27 日）對上坦帕灣光芒隊（Tampa Bay Rays）的世界大賽（World Series）。 特納在比賽後期被拉出，道奇隊隨後以 3 比 1 擊敗光芒隊贏得聯盟賽季末總冠軍。
為了開發新冠肺炎的疫苗，美國製藥(pharmaceutical，註 5)公司輝瑞（Pfizer）表示，它正與德國生技公司 BioNTech 合作開發大型的實驗(experimental)疫苗。由於研發後期尚未達到關鍵的里程碑(milestone)，因此疫苗不太可能在 11 月 3 日美國總統大選前釋出。
輝瑞表示：4 萬 4000 名志願受試者中，新冠肺炎感染者少於 32 名，尚未達到確認藥物安全有效的標準(benchmark)。
Language Notes
註 1： record 於本文指「新紀錄」的意思 ；本字也常指「記錄」和 「錄製」; 注意重音在第 1 音節
註 2：EUCAP Sahel Niger 是歐盟在 2012 年根據其《共同安全與防務政策》發起的尼日民間能力建設任務
註 3：assertion 源自古法文的「宣言」“assercion ”； 於本文指「主張」的意思 ； 注意重音在第 2 音節
註 4：patron 源自古法文的「守護者」“patron”； 於本文指「顧客」的意思 ； 注意重音在第 1 音節
註 5：pharmaceutical 源自古拉丁文的「藥物」“pharmaceuticus”； 於本文指「製藥」的意思 ； 注意重音在第 3 音節
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Check your comprehension!
Choose the BEST answer to each of the questions below. After you finish, highlight the parentheses to reveal the hidden answers.
1. ( A ) What can be inferred about Admiral Brett Giroir contradicting President Donald Trump?
(A) He does not agree with President Trump about why cases are increasing.
(B) He does not want to endorse anything President Trump says.
(C) He does not like President Trump because of President Trump's beliefs.
(D) He does not believe President Trump knows what he is doing.
2. ( D ) Why does the article mention Justin Turner?
(A) To prove that not all athletes are immune to the virus.
(B) To mock Turner for being the only one who contracted the virus.
(C) To scare baseball fans into worrying about their favorite players.
(D) To show the severity of the virus as even celebrities are affected.
3. ( C ) What is TRUE about the criteria the vaccine should fulfill to be considered safe and effective?
(A) Less than 40 people should be infected so the disease can be controlled.
(B) At least half of the 44,000 volunteers should be infected after vaccination.
(C) More than 30 people should be infected so the disease can be studied.
(D) All 44,000 volunteers should not be infected to achieve herd immunity.
編譯：外語教學暨資源中心 編輯小組
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