Curbing the spread of the epidemic

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan in December 2019, China has mobilized the power and resources of the whole country to fight the epidemic. Now, its control and prevention efforts are starting to take effect.
自2019年12月新冠病毒疫情在武汉爆发以来，中国动员了举国力量与资源抗击疫情。如今，防控举措初显成效。

According to a news conference on Feb 27, the epidemic will basically be brought under control on the Chinese mainland by the end of April, according to Zhong Nanshan, a well-known medical expert.
著名医学专家钟南山在2月27日的一场发布会上表示，四月底基本控制国内疫情。

As of March 1, mainland areas outside of Hubei had reported a single-digit increase for four days in a row, according to the National Health Commission. As of March 2, about 20 provincial-level regions had lowered their epidemic emergency response levels.
据国家卫健委消息，截至3月1日，除湖北以外，其他省份新增确诊病例连续四天为个位数。截至3月2日，全国约20省份下调新冠肺炎疫情防控应急响应级别。

Vaccine development is also progressing. Some vaccines have been tested on animals, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. “If vaccine development is compared to building a house, we have laid the foundation and the building is starting to emerge from the ground,” said Zeng Yixin, deputy director of the National Health Commission.
疫苗研发也在进展中。科技部表示，部分疫苗已经进入到动物试验环节。“如果把疫苗研发比喻成建造一栋楼，现在我们的进度可以说地基已经打好，楼体也已冒出地面，” 国家卫健委副主任曾益新如此说道。

However, the turning point is yet to come. It’s too early to relax, noted Xinhua.
但拐点仍未到来。新华社指出，放松警惕仍为时尚早。

The situation in Hubei province and Wuhan remains complex and grim, and the risk of an epidemic rebound in other regions cannot be overlooked, President Xi Jinping stressed on Feb 26.
湖北省和武汉市疫情形势依然复杂严峻，其他有关地区疫情反弹风险也不容忽视，国家主席习近平2月26日如此强调。

Speaking over a meeting on the prevention and control of COVID-19, Xi said, “At this moment it is important to make unremitting epidemic containment efforts and accelerate all aspects of work in economic and social development.”
在关于新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情防控的一场会议上，习近平指出：“越是在这个时候，越要加强疫情防控这根弦不能松，经济社会发展各项工作要抓紧。”

Prevention and control work in Beijing and other key regions should be strengthened to block any possible source of infection, according to the meeting.
会议指出，要加强北京等重点省份防控工作，坚决阻断各种可能的传染源。

“In the face of a previously unknown virus, China has rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease containment effort in history,” said a report released by a joint team of World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese experts on Feb 29.
“面对这种前所未知的病毒，中国采取了历史上最勇敢、最灵活、最积极的防控措施，”世界卫生组织与中国专家联合考察组在2月29日发布的一份报告中如此评价道。

However, the world is not ready. The situation outside of China is concerning, as the world saw a huge increase in the number of new cases and the WHO raised its global risk assessment of the virus from “high” to “very high.”
然而，全球尚未做好准备。中国之外的情况令人担忧，全球出现了大量新增病例，而世界卫生组织也将新冠肺炎疫情全球风险级别从“高”上调为“非常高”。

As of March 3, the total number of confirmed cases in South Korea had risen to 4,812, China Daily reported. Italy had reported 2,036 confirmed cases. Iran, Japan and France have also found more confirmed cases.
据《中国日报》报道，截至3月3日，韩国累计确诊病例增至4812例。意大利报告了2036例确诊病例。伊朗、日本以及法国的确诊病例数量也有所上升。

The WHO advises other countries to learn from China’s experience and prepare immediately to take similar measures. “In mindset and materially, to implement the measures that have been employed to contain COVID-19 in China is the only strategy so far proven to curb the rapidly escalating epidemic”, according to the report.
世界卫生组织建议其他国家学习中国经验，做好准备迅速采取类似措施。“无论在理论上，还是实际行动上，中国所实施的用于控制新冠病毒肺炎的措施，是目前唯一被事实证明能够控制迅速上升的疫情的策略”，该报告表示。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高一783期