Frequent outbreaks triggered by imported frozen products; reports suggesting traces of coronavirus found elsewhere earlier than Wuhan… so is COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan also result of imported cold-chain products? Check GT special investigative report…
Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera reported in November that a new coronavirus was circulating in Italy in September 2019, a study by the National Cancer Institute (INT) of the Italian city of Milan shows, indicating that the virus may have existed in Italy months before it was first detected in China.
The Italian researchers’ findings, published by the INT’s scientific magazine Tumori Journal, show 11.6 percent of 959 blood samples from healthy volunteers enrolled in a lung cancer screening trial between September 2019 and March 2020 had developed coronavirus antibodies well before February.
Peter Forster, a geneticist from Cambridge, also told the Global Times that he is not surprised that there might be cases earlier than China.
Foster suggests it is useful to think of three stages in the origins of the coronavirus: when and where did it cross the species barrier from bats to humans and when and where did it start spreading successfully among humans. “My dating suggests sometime between September and December 2019,” said the virologist, proposing finally to look at when the globally dominant infectious coronavirus subtype arose.
“Everyone agrees it was prominent in Northern Italy in February 2020. Some scientists said it came to Italy from China, but I am not so sure,” he said.
Evidence of both epidemiology and virology are needed to find out where the virus comes from, said the Beijing-based anonymous expert. If the pandemic originated from a certain place, there should be signs of an early outbreak. It is also possible that the virus already existed, but not seriously enough to cause an outbreak, he said, noting that there is only a small probability of the latter scenario, and no solid evidence to support it.
From a virology perspective, a full gene sequence of cases from that place should be obtained for observation and for determining when the virus was transmitted to this place via time and the virus’ variation point, said the expert.
“If we have doubts that the virus was originated from places other than Wuhan, we can compare its sequencing with the virus that was found in Wuhan. [We should] compare their homology and variability, to see if the virus found in other places is in its early stage, or it is evolved,” he said.
There are reports from several countries that early blood samples tested positive for the virus, but they can provide no evidence of the nucleic sequence, so the possibility of a false negative cannot be ruled out, said the anonymous expert.
He believes that if antibodies can be found in the blood serum, then the virus can also be found there. Even if the virus is not infectious anymore, it is easily detected, as its nucleic acid is protected by the coat of the virus and it is very stable and sensitive.
The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province on November 22. Photo: Fan Lingzhi/GT
International cooperation urged
Although those virologists have pictured a clear route map to trace the origin of the virus, the real path to finding the origin is laden with difficulties.
The anonymous expert said that in terms of tracing the virus origin, the momentum for international scientists to cooperate has retrogressed compared with the pre-COVID-19 period.
“Scientists are reluctant to become involved in politics, they are eyeing international cooperation. Yet researchers from all over the world are acting with caution, avoiding troubles, and refusing casual communication. I don’t think it’s an ideal atmosphere for cooperation.”
This has drawn attention from international bodies. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries on November 30 not to politicize the hunt for the origins of the new coronavirus, saying that would only create barriers to learning the truth.
When talking to Tedros in September, director of China's National Health Commission Ma Xiaowei vowed to enhance cooperation with the WHO on virus prevention, origin tracing and vaccine development. China is pushing forward the work on the virus origin tracing, and is willing to strengthen cooperation and communication with the WHO, Ma said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on November 24 that while tracing the origin domestically, China has been earnestly implementing WHA resolutions.
"We are the first to invite WHO experts in for origin-tracing cooperation." Zhao said, adding that "We hope all relevant countries will adopt a positive attitude and cooperate with WHO like China does, making contributions to global origin-tracing and anti-epidemic cooperation."
“International communication on the virus origin should be frequent and open for all. But some countries weighed in and complicated the issue,” said Yang, who noted that the world has achieved great progress in fighting COVID-19 in the past year, including treatment of the disease and vaccine R&D.
Tracing the virus origin should not be a battle against each other; instead, an information, data sharing mechanism is helpful to bring the virus under control, Yang said.
.
The government has just announced in a live conference that CMCO will end in Penang as scheduled, which is 6 December 2020. This is with an exception of two Mukim, which is Mukim 12 in Barat Daya and Mukim 13 in Timur Laut. CMCO will extend in these two Mukim until 20 December 2020.
Following the reduction of COVID-19 infection cases in several states, the government today decided to end the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in most states.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the move was done after considering the current and expected impact on the economic recovery if CMCO is extended.
“The country is expected to suffer a GDP loss of RM300 million a day if CMCO is continued and this will result in a decline in the labour market and household spending, investment uncertainty, permanent job loss, business closure and other effects either directly or indirectly.
"Therefore, the government needs to consider all aspects in formulating any approach to create a balance between maintaining public health and impact on the economy," he told a press conference here today.
The CMCO in the following states would be lifted as scheduled tomorrow:
Penang except for Mukim 12 (southwest), Mukim 13 (northeast), while Flat Jalan Paya Terubong, Relau and Flat Desa Bistari, Batu Uban will be placed under enhanced MCO (EMCO) from Dec 7 to 20.
Perak except for Kinta district, Mukim Teja (Kampar district) and Mukim Changkat Jong (Hilir Perak district) where the CMCO will continue starting Dec 7 until 20, while the EMCO in Zone B and Zone C of Taman Meru 2C, Ipoh, Perak will end today.
Langkap Immigration Detention Depot and its quarters in Hilir Perak will be placed under EMCO from Dec 6 to 19.
Kelantan except for Kota Bharu, Machang, Tanah Merah and Pasir Mas where the CMCO will be extended from Dec 7 to 20, while Madrasah Ad-Diniah Al Falahiah, Kg Dalam Huma, Bukit Awang, Pasir Puteh will be placed under EMCO for the same period.
PutrajayaNegeri Sembilan except for Seremban and Port Dickson where the CMCO will be extended until Dec 20.
Meanwhile, the CMCO for Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will be extended until Dec 20 following the increase in COVID-19 cases, except for Sabak Bernam, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Selangor which will return to the Recovery MCO (RMCO).
At the same time, he said the CMCO in Kulim, Kedah which is supposed to end tomorrow will be extended until Dec 20 as there are 334 positive cases for its cluster.
In Johor, the CMCO in Mersing will be lifted tomorrow as scheduled, while the CMCO in Kota Tinggi will be extended until Dec 20 and three districts namely Johor Bahru, Batu Pahat and Kulai will be placed under CMCO from Dec 7 to 20. --- BERNAMA
Travel bans rescinded
Ismail Sabri: Police permission no longer needed for journeys
PETALING JAYA: The interstate and inter-district travel bans have been rescinded, regardless of whether an area is still under the conditional movement control order (MCO) or not, says Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said the decision was made due to the need to balance public health and economic stability.
“Life must go on. So several restrictions have been relaxed after the National Security Council meeting where all parties, including the Health Ministry, discussed the issue.
“Among the matters agreed on is that interstate and inter-district travel across the country will now be allowed except for areas under an enhanced MCO.
“Police permission is no longer required,” he said.
He added that from tomorrow, the police would stop having roadblocks at state borders.
The focus will now be on adherence to the standard operating procedure (SOP), Ismail Sabri said.
“What’s important is that the public must follow the SOP. This is one of the ways to reduce Covid-19 infections.
“The police will be everywhere now to ensure compliance,” he said.
On tourism, Ismail Sabri said a meeting would be held with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry to identify what would be permitted to open and what should remain closed.
He also noted that travel to Sabah would now be allowed for social visits.
However, all entering Sabah must undergo the RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) or RTK Antigen (Rapid Test Kit Antigen) Covid-19 swabs three days before travelling.
“Only those without symptoms and who test negative for Covid-19 will be allowed into Sabah.
“Police permission to leave Sabah and
inter-district travel is no longer required,” he added.
Come visit us: Penang eager to see an increase in visitors to the island
this coming holiday season with the interstate and inter-district
travel ban being lifted.
The victim families want the trial of these soldiers to
take place inside Afghanistan where the crime happened. We are
condemning this brutal act of Australian soldiers.
Australian gov't should apologize to Afghan people:
https://youtu.be/zkQctV1h0R4
China refutes Australia's accusation of tweeting "fake image"
https://youtu.be/GOU6fy7awWc
https://youtu.be/YtL2NpQZM6o
Killing of Afghan civilians by Australian soldiers confirmed, who should apologize?
https://youtu.be/K13x_9pazeM
https://youtu.be/zSzWN74EQeA
Australia's war of words with China over a satirical cartoon that condemned Australian troops' murder of innocent Afghans is ongoing. As more reports reveal the elite Australian soldiers' misconduct in Afghanistan, Australia is increasingly embarrassed.
Some of Australia's allies have engaged in this war of words, and arrogantly talk only about their stance and principles rather than the facts.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on November 18 phoned Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to express his "deepest sorrow." And one day later, Australian Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell said, "I sincerely and unreservedly apologize" to the people of Afghanistan. However, Morrison refused to accept China's criticism but vented his anger as if China had groundlessly smeared his country.
The logic behind Morrison's moves is quite simple: The West can do anything it wants, but non-Westerners are not allowed.
This is the consistent style of Western whites: The West must always be in a superior status and position. With such a mentality, they never accept the idea that other races can enjoy equality. Feeling superior to others, they believe the West must take control of each and every thing, be it the economy or technology.
Morrison didn't say anything when European and American media outlets reported Australian troops' misconduct with words like "war crimes" (as the criticism came from the West). But he reacted fiercely when a Chinese diplomat condemned the brutal murder.
In the eyes of some Western elites, adopting a non-Western system and ideology and refusing to be a vassal of the West is the sin of China. Brainwashed by such discourse, many ordinary people in the West would buy Western politicians' lies about China, even though the COVID-19 has killed hundreds of thousands in the West while vulnerable groups cannot "breathe."
As a result, any action and word of China is unacceptable to Westerners who have an overwhelming sense of superiority. To them, the West can stigmatize China over the so-called human rights issues with disinformation and accuse China of "genocide," but China is not even allowed to give its opinion on the viral reports circulating in the West.
After 160 years, the bronze horse head stolen by invading forces when Anglo-French Alliance Forces razed the Old Summer Palace in 1860 finally returned to its home on Tuesday. But many Westerners still believe that China is the semi-colonial and semi-feudal society that they arbitrarily bullied in the 19th century.
As they cannot hold colonies anymore, they attempt to spiritually colonize others with their so-called universal values of democracy and human rights. However, the West's narrow-minded moralistic tricks cannot last except in deceiving Westerners.
As China rises, more and more developing countries will not accept to be brainwashed by the West anymore. Nor will they stay silent and tolerate the West's double standards on human rights and other issues.
In the future, more people like Chinese cartoonist Wuheqilin and Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian will stand out to tell the truth to the world and have dialogue with the West on a completely fair and equal status.
The world construct has greatly changed. Whether or not the West will accept it, the belief the West is the center of the world will eventually come to an end.
Until today, Australia still believes China is inferior,
not qualified to criticize the superior Aussies. Nothing can better
portray the mentality when Australia showed much greater anger toward a
Chinese cartoon than the crimes of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.
Those countries hope that China will resign itself to
their provocation and suppression. Otherwise, they would believe that
China has become tougher or even a “Wolf Warrior.” Just let them bluff,
and let us stay magnanimous.
It is a 100-percent fact that Australian troops brutally
killed Afghan civilians. Australia should tell the Afghans and the world
how many people its troops have killed and how they will be held
accountable for it. What's happening in the real world is much more
brutal, bloody and frightening than what my cartoon shows.
Killing innocent people is trampling on human rights no
matter what. But Canberra has the nerve to put itself on the moral high
ground of human rights. How arrogant and shameless the Morrison
government is!
Take a look at what is happening in the Five Eyes
countries. The US and the UK are both among the countries hit hardest by
COVID-19, and both have deep domestic conflicts and long-term
uncertainties. Canada and Australia, with their small populations and
vast land resources, are more like “Western slackers” than the European
countries who have strong crisis awareness. They all need to see where
their crisis lies and who their real enemies are. Otherwise, they will
always have a misconception that China is poisoning them whenever they
are not feeling well. How absurd such a logic is!
Taking sides with the US over China has cost Australia
valuable diplomatic flexibility. Australia has been smashed between two
rocks instead of milking both sides.
Passing the legislation is Australia's domestic affair
and China has no interest to intervene. But if the Australian federal
government uses this act to jeopardize China's interests, China will do
everything it can to safeguard its own interests.
The West should take the latest incident as an alarm bell
– when they smear other countries with baseless accusations, why can't
other countries criticize the West or make well-intentioned suggestions
for their misdeeds?
Amid an escalating war of words around a cartoon
depicting atrocities committed by Australian soldiers against Afghan
civilians, an Australian who has lived in China for 10 years has
something to say: "Today, as an Australian, I feel ashamed. The
Australia I left 10 years ago compared to the Australia of today is
entirely different."
Amid a vortex of worsening bilateral ties between
Australia and China and tightened immigration policies, complicated by
the ravages of pandemic, many Chinese in Australia feel anxious and
disappointed in Prime Minister Scott Morrison's administration.
Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac produced by Chinese vaccine developer Sinovac Photo: Courtesy of Sinovac
Chinese vice premier Sun Chunlan stressed a scientific and rigorous preparation is required for the mass production of Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines during an inspection tour of vaccine production lines of some leading manufacturers in Beijing on Wednesday, the same day the UK became the first Western country to approve a coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.
Sun and State Councilor Wang Yong visited the National Institute for Food and Drug Control, and two leading vaccine producers Sinovac, National Vaccine & Serum Institute under Sinopharm in Beijing, the Xinhua News Agency reported late Wednesday.
The visit was seen as a prelude for the vaccine coming to market in a rigorous and scientific manner. Russia and the UK announced on Wednesday they will start mass vaccinations against the coronavirus next week.
Sun and Wang learned about COVID-19 vaccine research, visited production plants and checked preparation work, and fully affirmed the achievements of the vaccine developers.
Fourteen vaccines using five technology methods are in clinical trials and five vaccines are undergoing phase Ⅲ clinical trials. Emergency use, production preparation and other work are proceeding in an orderly manner.
Sun called for scientific and rigorous phase Ⅲ clinical trials to carry out review and approval work in strict accordance with laws, regulations and internationally recognized technical standards to ensure the safety and effectiveness.
She required Chinese companies prepare for mass production, strictly comply with laws, regulations, procedures and requirements on quality supervision and biosafety, improve the traceability system for vaccines, punish illegal activities for creating a favorable market environment.
Sun said it's necessary to formulate a vaccination distribution plan before the vaccines are made available to the public. The emergency use of the vaccine in high-risk groups, such as port workers and front-line supervisors, will be completed by the end of 2020, she said.
The UK's approval of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday paved the way for widespread uses of the vaccine. The first doses are already on their way to the UK, with 800,000 due to arrive in the coming days, Pfizer said.
Analysts said the UK and Russia's quick approval for widespread use of vaccine is mainly in response to new outbreaks that may get worse during the coming winter.
China is very likely to introduce its first officially approved vaccine for mass use in December, but whether it would be approved only for limited use is still under discussion, a Beijing-based immunological professor who asks not to be named told the Global Times.
The first vaccines to get approval are likely the inactivated vaccine candidates from either Sinovac or state-owned Sinopharm, said the professor, noting that other frontrunner candidates such as recombinant adenovirus vector vaccine would be slightly behind or approved for emergency use first.
The Global Times learned from the Sinovac's Brazilian partner Butantan Institute which is carrying out the phase Ⅲ clinical trials of the inactivated vaccine CoronaVac that the data from the trials have been sent to the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency. Sinovac told the Global Times that analysis of the clinical data will take some time.
Compared to China, vaccines are more urgently needed in the West, said a Shanghai-based vaccine expert. "The epidemic battle left many Americans desperate, let's hope President-elect Joe Biden will take human rights seriously and not follow in Trump's footsteps."
Pharmaceutical firms Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as
their competitor Moderna, have filed applications for approval of their
COVID-19 vaccines, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday.
No matter how successfully China has contained the spread
of the coronavirus with all-out efforts and how the country has passed
on its experiences of handling the pandemic to the world in a timely
manner, some Western media has not given up its longstanding prejudices
and ideological biases when looking back at the past year, after
American broadcaster CNN came up with a so-called classified file on
Tuesday in an attempt to sensationalize obsolete issues and mislead the
world again.
African and some Latin American countries would prefer
Chinese-developed inactivated vaccines, due to their competitive costs
and easier logistics, to stop their pandemic crisis, said analysts in
both the vaccine and drug transportation services.
China will make its Covid-19 vaccine a global public good when it is
ready for application after successful research and clinical trials, a
senior Chinese official said.
Helping hand: President Xi Jinping (second from left) has a complete portfolio of poverty relief plans, despite the sudden onslaught of
Covid-19. — Xinhua
BEIJING: China is making a final sprint to eliminate absolute poverty as it marches towards a moderately prosperous society.
Leading this anti-poverty effort is President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission.
The Chinese leadership has set 2020 as the deadline to eradicate poverty. Every CPC leader in the past had worked towards this target, but the work by Xi has impressed many people.
Last March, Xi convened a televised symposium on poverty alleviation. He reiterated the deadline and vowed to lift the remaining five million-plus people out of poverty by the end of the year, despite the sudden onslaught of Covid-19. In September, Xi said China has “every confidence” of achieving the goal.
The nation will meet the poverty eradication target (set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) 10 years ahead of schedule, Xi told the 75th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly then.
In his latest instruction made public in mid-october, Xi said there should be no letting up until a complete victory has been secured.
Millions climb out of poverty trap
Poverty has plagued China for thousands of years. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the anti-poverty war has lifted over 700 million rural people out of poverty.
Great strides had been made under the reform programmes and opening up of China in 1978, started by Deng Xiaping.
Xi assumed the historic responsibility of leading this anti-poverty fight, after he was elected general secretary of the CPC in November 2012. At that time, About 99 million Chinese lived under the poverty line, earning a per capita income of less than 2,300 yuan (about US$1 dollar) a day.
To meet the 2020 anti-poverty deadline, over 10 million people have to be lifted out of poverty every year. This equates to about one million people every month, or 20 people every minute.
President Xi goes to the ground
About one month after taking over the helm of the CPC, Xi braved winter cold to visit poor villagers in Hebei Province. Sitting down with them, Xi asked about their income, if they had sufficient food and enough quilts and coal to stay warm.
In November 2013, Xi went to Shibadong, a Miao ethnic minority village nestled in the mountains of central China’s Hunan Province. There, he put forward the concept of targeted poverty alleviation.
Across the country, all impoverished people and the factors that have led to their poverty are identified. Each household or individual is given a customised poverty relief plan.
They might get help to start a small business, be relocated out of mountains or receive training to find jobs in cities.
Their children will be given education. And there is a system to keep track of progress to ensure the measures are having their desired effect.
Xi has put poverty relief work under the leadership of the CPC of 90 million members. Party chiefs at all levels are required to take up a role.
Over 2.9 million public sector officials are sent to villages to fight poverty “at the front line.”
The leader has convened a series of meetings on poverty alleviation. Before every meeting, he would visit impoverished regions to learn about local situations and listen to suggestions of grassroots officials and members of the public.
Xi has a complete portfolio of poverty relief plans. He sets basic targets at meetings: rural poor people must not worry about food and clothing, and have access to compulsory education, basic medical services and safe housing.
A lot of emphasis is given to the role of education to stop repeat of poverty from one generation to the next.
He has advocated relocation as an effective anti-poverty solution, and repeatedly warned against needless formalities, red tape.
Yuri Tavrovsky, a sinologist and professor at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, noted China’s anti-poverty fight has obviously gathered pace under Xi’s leadership.
No single poor to be left behind
Xi is no stranger to poverty. As a teenager and young adult, he spent seven years with peasants on the Loess Plateau where he lived in cave-like adobe houses and slept on a flea-infested bed on clay stove.
He joined the CPC in the village of Liangjiahe, and had his first experience as a grassroots-level CPC secretary there.
Xi once said his biggest dream back then was to make it possible for the villagers to have meat on their plates, which was a luxury during those days before the rise of China.
In his 80 domestic inspection tours over the past eight years, he has seen some of the most remote and impoverished areas in the country.
Xi has stressed that “no one should be left behind”. In the first four years as CPC chief, he had visited China’s 14 “contiguous impoverished areas.” At times he had to travel by plane first, and transfer to train and car before reaching the remote villages.
“What impresses me most is that Xi always puts people’s well-being first,” said Zhao Ruqi, an official who worked with Xi in Fujian.
In 2016, when visiting a village in Ningxia, Xi was seen checking the shower facilities in a villager’s home, and was happy to learn that the family had a solar water heater.
Recalling his early trips to some poor areas, Xi once said his heart sank when he saw the bumpy and rugged roads, harsh living conditions of the locals and heard stories of children dropping out of school, and patients not getting timely medical treatment and attention.
“But when I went to poor villages in recent few years, I saw substantial changes,” Xi said at the March symposium. “Seeing the smiles of the people, I feel delighted.”
The number of Chinese living in poverty has dropped from 98.99 million to 5.51 million in the seven years since 2013.
UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres has remarked that China made the greatest contributions to world poverty alleviation in the past decade.
In China, the per capita net income of the poor has more than doubled – rising from 4,124 yuan in 2016 to 9,057 yuan in 2019, registering an average annual growth of 30%.
Rural people are seeing a significant improvement in their lives and standard of living. The development of rural industries has changed lives, as has relocation of villages. In the past five years, more than nine million rural poor in China have been moved out of inhospitable areas.
Yang Qingzhong recalled that his family of six had to cram themselves into a tiny mudbrick house in mountainous Guizhou Province.
In 2018, the family moved into a spacious modern apartment in town, allocated by the government. And he found a job in a workshop near his new home, making rattan chairs.
All over the country, rural infrastructure, education and health-care have improved. Some rural hospitals partner with their metropolitan counterparts to offer high-quality medical services to rural residents.
“Illness-induced poverty is one of the toughest problems in rural areas,” said Hu Yi, head of the public hospital in the county of Zhenxiong in Yunnan Province. “Now they don’t have to travel far to get treated, not even for serious illness.”
Benefiting from the poverty eradication programmes, some ethnic minorities – residing in the country’s remote areas in southwestern corners – have also experienced positive changes in their life.
But China under Xi’s leadership is not going to stop at poverty eradication. “Poverty eradication is only the first step; better days are still ahead,” Xi said in a letter to the Dulong ethnic minority group, congratulating the Dulong people for collectively shaking off poverty.
Xi has reminded his people that shaking off poverty is not the finishing line, but the starting line of a new life and new endeavour.
Revisiting Hunan in September, Xi said China must establish a long-term strategy to prevent any relapse into poverty. Among the plans being implemented in China are rural revitalisation programmes and economic development to build a moderately prosperous society. — Xinhua (Compiled by HO WAH FOON
It's not accidental that the current US administration
has played stupid tricks to deal with the CPC. See how it withdrew from
the Paris agreement and how it found fault with the WHO. When it
questioned those on board whether they are CPC members, its behavior is
too weird to be true.