
全球新冠病毒感染人數(shù)正在上升,而據(jù)新研究預(yù)測(cè),,今年秋冬季節(jié),,新冠病毒預(yù)計(jì)將造成全球近25萬(wàn)人死亡。
專家們已經(jīng)發(fā)出警告,,進(jìn)入冬季后,,美國(guó)和北半球其他國(guó)家的感染病例可能會(huì)增加,高級(jí)別衛(wèi)生官員也對(duì)“令人煩惱的”新變種BQ.1和BQ.11表示擔(dān)憂,,這兩種變種均已開始在美國(guó)傳播,。
本周,華盛頓大學(xué)衛(wèi)生計(jì)量與評(píng)估研究所(IHME)的專家對(duì)他們持續(xù)進(jìn)行的研究進(jìn)行了更新,,對(duì)今年冬天的疫情形勢(shì)做出預(yù)測(cè),。
在其最新報(bào)告中,該研究所估計(jì),,截至10月18日,,全球每日感染人數(shù)為1700萬(wàn),高于一周前的1680萬(wàn),。
盡管全球上報(bào)的新冠死亡人數(shù)穩(wěn)定保持在日均1500人,,但I(xiàn)HME的專家表示,實(shí)際總?cè)藬?shù)可能是官方數(shù)字的1.7倍,,使新冠成為全球第17大死亡原因,。
難熬的冬天
IHME預(yù)測(cè),在未來(lái)幾個(gè)月最可能出現(xiàn)的場(chǎng)景中,,到1月25日,,全球新冠感染人數(shù)將增至每天1870萬(wàn)例。
根據(jù)該團(tuán)隊(duì)的預(yù)測(cè)模型,,到2月1日,,全球報(bào)告的新冠死亡人數(shù)將達(dá)到每天2750人,,幾乎是現(xiàn)在的兩倍。從10月17日至2月1日,,總死亡人數(shù)預(yù)計(jì)將增加24.5萬(wàn)人,。
IHME對(duì)基本情況的判斷沒有將新變種可能導(dǎo)致病例激增的因素考慮在內(nèi)。不過(guò),,該報(bào)告的作者指出,,最可能影響病毒傳播的主導(dǎo)因素包括奧密克戎亞變種的出現(xiàn)、季節(jié)性行為特征以及中國(guó)政府應(yīng)對(duì)新冠的政策立場(chǎng),。
“這種情況下,,主要策略仍然是保持監(jiān)測(cè),向風(fēng)險(xiǎn)人群推廣接種加強(qiáng)針,,擴(kuò)大風(fēng)險(xiǎn)人群對(duì)抗病毒藥物的獲取渠道?!彼麄冋f(shuō):“然而,,如果出現(xiàn)了一種具有免疫逃逸能力且癥狀嚴(yán)重程度與德爾塔(變種)類似的新變種,則可能需要其他策略,,包括要求遵守社交距離等,。”
美國(guó)形勢(shì)預(yù)測(cè)
IHME表示,,未來(lái)幾個(gè)月美國(guó)可能會(huì)出現(xiàn)幾種不同場(chǎng)景,。
第一種場(chǎng)景也是最可能的情況,即影響病毒傳播的因素主要是人們季節(jié)性行為變化,,加上疫苗和既往感染提供的免疫保護(hù)出現(xiàn)衰減,。
不過(guò),該研究所也提醒道,,也有“一種真實(shí)存在但概率沒那么高的可能性,,即可能出現(xiàn)具有免疫逃逸能力、引發(fā)更嚴(yán)重癥狀的新病毒,,這時(shí)或許需要更明確的應(yīng)對(duì)政策,。”
在第一種場(chǎng)景中,,疫苗接種速度將維持預(yù)期,,口罩使用量將下降到2021年初至2022年中最低水平的50%。照此估計(jì),,到明年2月,,感染人數(shù)將達(dá)到每天110萬(wàn)人。
然而,,這份報(bào)告顯示,,如果戴口罩的人增加至總?cè)丝诘?0%,,日均感染人數(shù)估計(jì)只有81.2萬(wàn)。
報(bào)告中稱,,美國(guó)目前的“感染檢出率非常低”,,只有5%,也就是說(shuō),,用上報(bào)的病例數(shù)來(lái)判斷新冠病毒的傳播速度使用的是“錯(cuò)誤的衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)”,。
該團(tuán)隊(duì)的模型還預(yù)測(cè),在基礎(chǔ)場(chǎng)景中,,10月17日至2月1日期間,,美國(guó)將新增4萬(wàn)人死于新冠,到2月初,,每日上報(bào)的死亡人數(shù)預(yù)計(jì)將升至340人,。
在口罩使用率達(dá)到80%的場(chǎng)景中,同期新增死亡人數(shù)將減少至2.5萬(wàn)人,,這意味著到2月,,每日新冠死亡人數(shù)實(shí)際上將下降到190人。
根據(jù)IHME的數(shù)據(jù),,10月12日至18日,,美國(guó)日均新冠感染人數(shù)大約從前一周的82.7萬(wàn)人降至81.4萬(wàn)人。上報(bào)的死亡人數(shù)也略有下降,,為平均每天320人,。
研究人員通過(guò)病例數(shù)、住院數(shù)和死亡數(shù)計(jì)算出,,新冠病毒在美國(guó)24個(gè)州的R值大于1,,也就是說(shuō),這些地方的病例呈指數(shù)級(jí)上升,。佛羅里達(dá)州,、紐約州和佐治亞州均包含在內(nèi)。
然而,,IHME估計(jì),,截至10月17日,有95%的美國(guó)人至少感染過(guò)一次新冠病毒,,而且近60%的美國(guó)人對(duì)目前的主要變種BA.5免疫,。
XBB和BQ.1的影響
該機(jī)構(gòu)的基礎(chǔ)場(chǎng)景預(yù)測(cè)沒有將XBB、BQ.1和BQ.1.1等新出現(xiàn)的具有免疫逃避能力的亞變種及其對(duì)病例數(shù),、住院數(shù)和死亡數(shù)的可能影響計(jì)算在內(nèi),。
據(jù)估計(jì),目前美國(guó)16.6%的病例是由BQ.1及其后代BQ.1.1造成的,,而且仍在迅速增長(zhǎng),,就快成為美國(guó)傳播第二廣泛的新冠病毒變種,。
BQ.1.1的傳播在包括德國(guó)在內(nèi)的歐洲國(guó)家中也在上升,德國(guó)十月啤酒節(jié)的慶?;顒?dòng)或許在其中扮演了超級(jí)傳播活動(dòng)的角色,。
歐洲衛(wèi)生官員表示,到11月中旬或12月初,,BQ.1.1可能會(huì)在該地區(qū)占據(jù)主導(dǎo)地位,,并警告稱,未來(lái)數(shù)周甚至數(shù)月的感染人數(shù)可能會(huì)因此被推高,。
該報(bào)告的作者確實(shí)注意到,,XBB在新加坡傳播的證據(jù)表明,最近如感染過(guò)BA.5,,可以在一定程度上保護(hù)人體不被這種新的亞變種感染,,“將限制這種變種在全球范圍的人口影響?!痹搱?bào)告還稱,,新加坡的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,XBB的癥狀“比BA.5稍輕”,,而BA.5是美國(guó)現(xiàn)在最主要的變種,。
相較之下,,該報(bào)告稱,,德國(guó)住院人數(shù)迅速上升——尚未被歸因于某一亞變種的傳播——可能會(huì)對(duì)美國(guó)產(chǎn)生影響。
“導(dǎo)致德國(guó)病例激增的背后病毒很可能會(huì)傳播到鄰近的歐洲國(guó)家,,并可能最終造成美國(guó)秋冬季節(jié)的感染激增,。”IHME稱:“德國(guó)的最新數(shù)據(jù)表明,,本輪傳播可能已經(jīng)見頂,,因此總持續(xù)時(shí)間或許只有4到6周?!?/p>
報(bào)告作者強(qiáng)調(diào),,該機(jī)構(gòu)的基礎(chǔ)場(chǎng)景假設(shè)并未將德國(guó)式的病例激增考慮在內(nèi)。過(guò)去一個(gè)月,,德國(guó)住院人數(shù)大幅上漲,,在用醫(yī)院床位從9月中旬的7000多張?jiān)黾拥?0月26日的25881張。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Agatha
全球新冠病毒感染人數(shù)正在上升,,而據(jù)新研究預(yù)測(cè),,今年秋冬季節(jié),新冠病毒預(yù)計(jì)將造成全球近25萬(wàn)人死亡,。
專家們已經(jīng)發(fā)出警告,,進(jìn)入冬季后,,美國(guó)和北半球其他國(guó)家的感染病例可能會(huì)增加,高級(jí)別衛(wèi)生官員也對(duì)“令人煩惱的”新變種BQ.1和BQ.11表示擔(dān)憂,,這兩種變種均已開始在美國(guó)傳播,。
本周,華盛頓大學(xué)衛(wèi)生計(jì)量與評(píng)估研究所(IHME)的專家對(duì)他們持續(xù)進(jìn)行的研究進(jìn)行了更新,,對(duì)今年冬天的疫情形勢(shì)做出預(yù)測(cè),。
在其最新報(bào)告中,該研究所估計(jì),,截至10月18日,,全球每日感染人數(shù)為1700萬(wàn),高于一周前的1680萬(wàn),。
盡管全球上報(bào)的新冠死亡人數(shù)穩(wěn)定保持在日均1500人,,但I(xiàn)HME的專家表示,實(shí)際總?cè)藬?shù)可能是官方數(shù)字的1.7倍,,使新冠成為全球第17大死亡原因,。
難熬的冬天
IHME預(yù)測(cè),在未來(lái)幾個(gè)月最可能出現(xiàn)的場(chǎng)景中,,到1月25日,,全球新冠感染人數(shù)將增至每天1870萬(wàn)例。
根據(jù)該團(tuán)隊(duì)的預(yù)測(cè)模型,,到2月1日,,全球報(bào)告的新冠死亡人數(shù)將達(dá)到每天2750人,幾乎是現(xiàn)在的兩倍,。從10月17日至2月1日,,總死亡人數(shù)預(yù)計(jì)將增加24.5萬(wàn)人。
IHME對(duì)基本情況的判斷沒有將新變種可能導(dǎo)致病例激增的因素考慮在內(nèi),。不過(guò),,該報(bào)告的作者指出,最可能影響病毒傳播的主導(dǎo)因素包括奧密克戎亞變種的出現(xiàn),、季節(jié)性行為特征以及中國(guó)政府應(yīng)對(duì)新冠的政策立場(chǎng),。
“這種情況下,主要策略仍然是保持監(jiān)測(cè),,向風(fēng)險(xiǎn)人群推廣接種加強(qiáng)針,,擴(kuò)大風(fēng)險(xiǎn)人群對(duì)抗病毒藥物的獲取渠道?!彼麄冋f(shuō):“然而,,如果出現(xiàn)了一種具有免疫逃逸能力且癥狀嚴(yán)重程度與德爾塔(變種)類似的新變種,則可能需要其他策略,,包括要求遵守社交距離等,?!?/p>
美國(guó)形勢(shì)預(yù)測(cè)
IHME表示,未來(lái)幾個(gè)月美國(guó)可能會(huì)出現(xiàn)幾種不同場(chǎng)景,。
第一種場(chǎng)景也是最可能的情況,,即影響病毒傳播的因素主要是人們季節(jié)性行為變化,加上疫苗和既往感染提供的免疫保護(hù)出現(xiàn)衰減,。
不過(guò),,該研究所也提醒道,也有“一種真實(shí)存在但概率沒那么高的可能性,,即可能出現(xiàn)具有免疫逃逸能力,、引發(fā)更嚴(yán)重癥狀的新病毒,這時(shí)或許需要更明確的應(yīng)對(duì)政策,?!?/p>
在第一種場(chǎng)景中,疫苗接種速度將維持預(yù)期,,口罩使用量將下降到2021年初至2022年中最低水平的50%,。照此估計(jì),到明年2月,,感染人數(shù)將達(dá)到每天110萬(wàn)人,。
然而,這份報(bào)告顯示,,如果戴口罩的人增加至總?cè)丝诘?0%,,日均感染人數(shù)估計(jì)只有81.2萬(wàn)。
報(bào)告中稱,,美國(guó)目前的“感染檢出率非常低”,,只有5%,,也就是說(shuō),,用上報(bào)的病例數(shù)來(lái)判斷新冠病毒的傳播速度使用的是“錯(cuò)誤的衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)”。
該團(tuán)隊(duì)的模型還預(yù)測(cè),,在基礎(chǔ)場(chǎng)景中,,10月17日至2月1日期間,美國(guó)將新增4萬(wàn)人死于新冠,,到2月初,,每日上報(bào)的死亡人數(shù)預(yù)計(jì)將升至340人。
在口罩使用率達(dá)到80%的場(chǎng)景中,,同期新增死亡人數(shù)將減少至2.5萬(wàn)人,,這意味著到2月,每日新冠死亡人數(shù)實(shí)際上將下降到190人,。
根據(jù)IHME的數(shù)據(jù),,10月12日至18日,,美國(guó)日均新冠感染人數(shù)大約從前一周的82.7萬(wàn)人降至81.4萬(wàn)人。上報(bào)的死亡人數(shù)也略有下降,,為平均每天320人,。
研究人員通過(guò)病例數(shù)、住院數(shù)和死亡數(shù)計(jì)算出,,新冠病毒在美國(guó)24個(gè)州的R值大于1,,也就是說(shuō),這些地方的病例呈指數(shù)級(jí)上升,。佛羅里達(dá)州,、紐約州和佐治亞州均包含在內(nèi)。
然而,,IHME估計(jì),,截至10月17日,有95%的美國(guó)人至少感染過(guò)一次新冠病毒,,而且近60%的美國(guó)人對(duì)目前的主要變種BA.5免疫,。
XBB和BQ.1的影響
該機(jī)構(gòu)的基礎(chǔ)場(chǎng)景預(yù)測(cè)沒有將XBB、BQ.1和BQ.1.1等新出現(xiàn)的具有免疫逃避能力的亞變種及其對(duì)病例數(shù),、住院數(shù)和死亡數(shù)的可能影響計(jì)算在內(nèi),。
據(jù)估計(jì),目前美國(guó)16.6%的病例是由BQ.1及其后代BQ.1.1造成的,,而且仍在迅速增長(zhǎng),,就快成為美國(guó)傳播第二廣泛的新冠病毒變種。
BQ.1.1的傳播在包括德國(guó)在內(nèi)的歐洲國(guó)家中也在上升,,德國(guó)十月啤酒節(jié)的慶?;顒?dòng)或許在其中扮演了超級(jí)傳播活動(dòng)的角色。
歐洲衛(wèi)生官員表示,,到11月中旬或12月初,,BQ.1.1可能會(huì)在該地區(qū)占據(jù)主導(dǎo)地位,并警告稱,,未來(lái)數(shù)周甚至數(shù)月的感染人數(shù)可能會(huì)因此被推高,。
該報(bào)告的作者確實(shí)注意到,XBB在新加坡傳播的證據(jù)表明,,最近如感染過(guò)BA.5,,可以在一定程度上保護(hù)人體不被這種新的亞變種感染,“將限制這種變種在全球范圍的人口影響,?!痹搱?bào)告還稱,新加坡的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,XBB的癥狀“比BA.5稍輕”,,而BA.5是美國(guó)現(xiàn)在最主要的變種,。
相較之下,該報(bào)告稱,,德國(guó)住院人數(shù)迅速上升——尚未被歸因于某一亞變種的傳播——可能會(huì)對(duì)美國(guó)產(chǎn)生影響,。
“導(dǎo)致德國(guó)病例激增的背后病毒很可能會(huì)傳播到鄰近的歐洲國(guó)家,并可能最終造成美國(guó)秋冬季節(jié)的感染激增,?!盜HME稱:“德國(guó)的最新數(shù)據(jù)表明,本輪傳播可能已經(jīng)見頂,,因此總持續(xù)時(shí)間或許只有4到6周,。”
報(bào)告作者強(qiáng)調(diào),,該機(jī)構(gòu)的基礎(chǔ)場(chǎng)景假設(shè)并未將德國(guó)式的病例激增考慮在內(nèi),。過(guò)去一個(gè)月,德國(guó)住院人數(shù)大幅上漲,,在用醫(yī)院床位從9月中旬的7000多張?jiān)黾拥?0月26日的25881張,。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Agatha
Global COVID infections are on the rise, and the virus is expected to cause almost a quarter of a million deaths worldwide in the coming fall and winter months, new research has projected.
Experts have already warned that the U.S. and other Northern Hemisphere countries are likely to see cases of the virus rise heading into the winter, with top health officials raising concerns about new “troublesome” variants BQ.1 and BQ.11, both of which are circulating in the United States.
In an update to their ongoing research, experts from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) laid out predictions this week for how the COVID pandemic would unfold over the winter months.
In its latest report, the organization estimated that daily infections stood at 17 million a day globally as of Oct. 18—up from 16.8 million a week earlier.
While reported deaths from the virus remained flat at an average 1,500 per day worldwide, the IHME’s experts said the total number was likely to be 1.7 times higher than the official figure, making COVID the number 17 cause of death in the world.
Tough winter
In the most likely scenario for the coming months, the IHME projected that global COVID infections would rise to 18.7 million daily by Jan. 25.
The global number of reported deaths from the coronavirus was projected by the team’s models to reach 2,750 a day by Feb. 1—almost double the current number. The total number of deaths was expected to rise by 245,000 between Oct. 17 and Feb. 1.
The IHME’s base case scenario did not factor in the possibility of a surge prompted by new variants. However, the report’s authors noted that transmission would likely be dominated by the emergence of various Omicron subvariants, as well as seasonal behavior and China’s policy stance on tackling COVID.
“In these scenarios, the main strategies remain continued surveillance, promoting boosters for those at risk, and wider access to antivirals for those at risk,” they said. “However, if a new variant emerges with immune escape that has a severity profile more like [the] Delta [variant], other strategies might be necessary, including the use of social distancing mandates.”
U.S. predictions
The IHME said a number of scenarios could play out in the U.S. in the coming months.
The first, most likely, scenario is one where the main factors driving transmission of COVID-19 would be seasonal changes in behavior combined with waning immunity from vaccinations and prior infections.
However, the organization warned that there is “a real but smaller-probability scenario in which a new variant with immune escape and increased severity may emerge which could require a more explicit policy response.”
In the first scenario, vaccines would be administered at an expected pace and mask use would drop to 50% of the lowest level it reached between early 2021 and mid-2022. Infections in this case were estimated to reach 1.1 million a day by February.
However, if mask use was increased to adoption by 80% of the population, daily infections are only estimated to reach 812,000, according to the report.
It said the U.S. currently has a “very low infection detection rate” of 5%, which means the number of reported cases is “the wrong measure to track” to determine how quickly COVID was spreading.
The research team’s model also projected that under its base case scenario, there would be an additional 40,000 U.S. deaths caused by the virus between Oct. 17 and Feb. 1, with daily reported deaths projected to rise to 340 by the beginning of February.
In the 80% mask use scenario, additional deaths would be reduced to 25,000 over the same period, meaning daily COVID deaths would actually decline by February to 190.
In the week ended Oct. 18, estimated daily COVID infections in the U.S. decreased to an average 814,000 from 827,000 a week earlier, according to the IHME. Reported deaths from the virus also declined slightly, falling to an average of 320 per day.
Using data on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, researchers calculated that COVID’s R number was greater than 1 in 24 states—meaning the number of cases were rising exponentially. Those states included Florida, New York, and Georgia.
However, the IHME estimated that 95% of people in the U.S. had been infected with COVID at least once as of Oct. 17, and noted that just under 60% of Americans are currently immune to dominant variant BA.5.
Impact of XBB and BQ.1
The organization’s base case projections did not factor in new immune-evasive subvariants of concern XBB, BQ.1, and BQ.1.1 and the impact they could have on case numbers, hospitalizations, or deaths.
BQ.1 and its offspring, BQ.1.1, are currently responsible for an estimated 16.6% of cases in the U.S., and are rapidly closing in on the position of the country’s second most widely circulating COVID variant.
BQ.1.1 is also on the rise in European countries including Germany, where Oktoberfest celebrations may have served as super-spreader events.
European health officials have said the subvariants will probably dominate the region by mid-November or early December, warning that they would drive infections upward in the coming weeks and months.
The IHME report’s authors did note that evidence from Singapore, where XBB is circulating, suggested recent BA.5 infection offered some protection against the new subvariant, which they said “will limit the population impact of this variant globally.” The report also said data from Singapore pointed to XBB being “slightly less severe than BA.5,” the variant which is currently dominant in the United States.
In contrast, the report said the rapid increase in hospital admissions seen in Germany — which had not yet been attributed to a specific subvariant—would likely have an impact on Americans.
“It is likely that what is driving the German surge will spread to adjacent countries in Europe and may eventually fuel a fall/winter surge in the U.S.,” the IHME said. “Recent data from Germany suggest this surge may have already peaked so that the total duration may only be four to six weeks.”
A Germany-like surge was not factored into the organization’s base scenario, the authors stressed. Hospitalizations in Germany have surged over the past month, with the number of hospital beds in use rising from just over 7,000 in mid-September to 25,881 on Oct. 26.