New Coronavirus Strain Spreading Faster 新冠病毒新毒株成为主流,或易导致二次感染

New Coronavirus Strain Spreading Faster

A new study led by the U.S. government has found that a new strain of the novel coronavirus that is prevailing worldwide is spreading faster than earlier versions.

The study led by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory said the new strain, a mutated form of the original coronavirus, was detected three months ago in Europe. It traveled quickly to eastern U.S. states before becoming the world’s most dominant strain since mid-March.

An image from an electron microscope shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Scientists say this coronavirus has mutated and become more contagious

The scientists who wrote the report said their findings have prompted an “urgent need for an early warning” to vaccine and drug developers to produce solutions that will be effective against the new strain.

The new strain has rapidly infected many more people than the earlier iterations that spread beyond Wuhan, the report said. Within weeks, it was the only strain in countries affected by the coronavirus.

A lab test for coronavirus

The study found the new strain to be more infectious, although the reasons have yet to be determined. The new version does not appear to be more lethal than the original, though people with the mutated strain seem to have higher viral loads.

The study warns if the pandemic does not diminish as the weather gets warmer, the virus could continue to mutate as work continues to develop vaccines and other medical treatments.

The study’s authors said the effectiveness of new medical treatments could be limited if the global scientific community does not get ahead of the risk posed by the new strain.

Los Alamos National Laboratory, based in the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico, is part of the U.S. Energy Department.

新冠病毒新毒株成为主流,或易导致二次感染

由美国洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室的科学家领导的一项最新研究显示，科学家已经发现了一种新的新冠病毒毒株，而且似乎比新冠病毒大流行初期传播的毒株更具传染性。

科学家们说，这种新毒株于2月份在欧洲出现，很快传播到美国东海岸，自3月中旬以来一直是全世界的主要毒株。报告警告说，除了传播速度更快外，它还可能使人体在第一次感染后容易受到第二次感染。

这份长达33页的报告于周二发布在生物医学预印本网站BioRxiv上，报告称，无论新毒株出现在哪里，其导致的感染人数都比早期毒株要多得多，而且新毒株是在近几周内在一些国家流行的唯一毒株。该报告称，新毒株更具传染性，尽管确切原因尚不清楚。

据报道，这份报告是基于对来自世界各地的6000多个冠状病毒序列的计算分析，分析发现这种新版本的毒株正在转变为主要毒株。

该报告包含了新毒株首次出现的时间以及在各地区成为主导毒株所需的时间。意大利是最早发现这种新毒株的国家之一，发生在2月份最后一周，几乎是在当地出现原始病毒株的同一时间。美国华盛顿州是最早在2月下旬发现原始毒株的感染，但到3月15日，变异的新毒株却占据了主导地位。纽约在3月15日左右发现原始毒株感染，但几天之内就发现了这种变异毒株感染。

该研究警告说，如果疫情未能随着天气变暖而出现季节性的减弱，那么即使研究机构准备了首批药物和疫苗，新冠病毒也可能会发生进一步的变异。该研究的作者警告说，如果基于原始病毒株进行设计药物和疫苗，它们可能无法有效抵抗新的病毒株。

专家说，最近几周，医学专家推测他们在美国至少发现了两种毒株，一种在东海岸流行，另一种在西海岸流行。

报道称，洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室的研究并未表明新毒株比原始的更具致命性，但即使新的毒株不再比其他毒株更危险，它仍会使控制疫情复杂化。如果这种突变使病毒与原始病毒株大不相同，以至于对原始毒株具有免疫力的人无法免疫新毒株，那将是一个问题，如果确实如此，新毒株可能会使“个人容易受到第二次感染”。

TIANJIN: No new coronavirus cases reported

A staffer from Beijing's Chaoyang district checks information with a passenger arriving at Beijing West Railway Station

As of May 6th, 18:00, there were no new cases of novel coronavirus reported in the city. So far, of all the 54 imported cases, 53 have been discharged upon recovery and 1 are still hospitalized.

No imported suspected cases are undergoing test.No new locally transmitted cases or suspected cases were reported.

4 asymptomatic infection cases are undergoing medical observation right now, the health commission said.

天津无新增

5月6日6时至18时，我市无新增报告境外输入新冠肺炎确诊病例。累计报告境外输入确诊病例54例（中国籍50例、美国籍2例、法国籍1例、菲律宾籍1例），治愈出院53例，在院1例（普通型）。

5月6日6时至18时，我市无新增报告本地新冠肺炎确诊病例。累计报告本地新冠肺炎确诊病例136例，其中男性73例，女性63例；治愈出院133例，死亡3例。

我市无新增无症状感染者。累计报告9例（境外输入8例），其中解除医学观察3例、转为确诊病例2例、尚在医学观察4例。

截至目前，全市无现存疑似病例，累计排查密切接触者3285人，尚有127人正在接受医学观察。

U.S. drafts rule to allow Huawei and U.S. firms to work together on 5G standards

The U.S. Department of Commerce is close to signing off on a new rule that would allow U.S. companies to work with China’s Huawei Technologies on setting standards for next generation 5G networks, people familiar with the matter said.

Engineers in some U.S. technology companies stopped engaging with Huawei to develop standards after the Commerce Department blacklisted the company last year. The listing left companies uncertain about what technology and information their employees could share with Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker.

That has put the United States at a disadvantage, said industry and government officials. In standards setting meetings, where protocols and technical specifications are developed that allow equipment from different companies to function together smoothly, Huawei gained a stronger voice as U.S. engineers sat back in silence.

The Commerce Department placed Huawei on its “entity list” last May, citing national security concerns. The listing restricted sales of U.S. goods and technology to the company and raised questions about how U.S. firms could participate in organizations that establish industry standards.

After nearly a year of uncertainty, the department has drafted a new rule to address the issue, two sources told Reuters. The rule, which could still change, essentially allows U.S. companies to participate in standards bodies where Huawei is also a member, the sources said.

The draft is under final review at the Commerce Department and, if cleared, would go to other agencies for approval, the people said. It is unclear how long the full process will take or if another agency will object.

美国商务部拟允许美国公司与华为合作

美国商务部接近签发一份新规，以允许美国企业和华为公司共同参与新一代5G网络标准的制定。报道称，自美商务部将华为列入“实体清单”后，一些美国科技公司工程师停止与华为合作制定标准，而这次的新规也尚不确定能允许美企可与华为共享哪些技术和信息。

China Extends Small Business Tax Exemptions by Four Years

China announced it was extending tax exemptions by an additional four years to further improve the inclusive finance service for smaller businesses.

The tax exemptions, which expired at the end of last year, will be extended to December 31, 2023, according to a statement issued jointly by the Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration.

In order to boost policy support and encourage financial institutions to step up services, Chinese authorities decided in 2017 that financial institutions will be exempt from value-added taxes (VAT) on income from interests for loans to small and micro-sized businesses and individually owned businesses.

The joint statement also said the VAT, which was already collected but eligible to be waived, can be deducted in subsequent months or refunded.

小微企业税收优惠延长4年

财政部、国家税务总局联合发布公告，明确延续实施一系列普惠金融有关税收优惠政策。根据公告，此前一系列于2019年12月31日执行到期的税收优惠政策，实施期限延长至2023年12月31日。

HSBC Becomes Wholly-Owned Insurer in China

HSBC agreed to buy out the other 50 percent of shares from its life insurance joint venture in mainland China in yet another milestone for foreign entry into finance on the mainland.

HSBC will become the sole owner of HSBC Life China after acquiring the shares from its Beijing-based partner National Trust for an undisclosed sum, subject to regulatory approvals including from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. 

The HSBC Life China JV was formed in 2009 and currently has presence in nine mainland cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen. As of December 31 last year, the insurer had 1.03 billion yuan ($146 million) in registered capital.

又一家外资独资寿险公司要来了

继友邦人寿之后，5月4日，汇丰集团宣布将收购其在华合资寿险公司的剩余50%股权，汇丰人寿将成为其在内地的全资控股子公司。公司总部设于上海，同时在上海、北京、天津等国内9个主要城市开展业务。

ORDER ONLINE  

  Restaurants & Bakeries  

in TIANJIN+BEIJING+HEBEI

京津冀企业、家庭送餐及烘焙信息！

 [CLICK BELOW PHOTO TO ORDER] 

Special Offer

RMB650 per night for a stay in a Deluxe Room with 2 breakfasts included. 

豪华客房仅需650元/晚，含双人早餐

Validity: 

Weekends and public holiday between 

27 April to 31 May 2020.

活动日期：4月27日至5月31日

(仅限节假日及周末使用）

Editor's Picks

更多精彩，请访问我们的网站www.businesstianjin.com或关注我们的微信公众号：business_tianjin