The latest consumer price index released by the U.S. Department of Labor on the 12th is the inflation report for December 2021. Compared with the same period in 2020 the previous year, the average domestic inflation in the United States came to 7%. (Getty Images)

(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 13, 2022)"Prices have been rising, how does Biden put out the fire?" The U.S. Department of Labor released the latest National Consumer Price Index (CPI) on the 12th, showing that the overall inflation rate in the United States has reached 7% in December 2021. The speed at which everything is rising has reached a "40-year high" since June 1982 - although the Biden administration and the Fed have previously believed that the current inflation problem is only a "short-term response to the post-pandemic", as long as the global supply chain continues to stabilize, and in line with the pace of resumption of work and employment and economic recovery in the United States, the United States will be able to control this wave of "epidemic inflation" by slowly raising interest rates starting in mid-2022. However, the latest CPI report shows that prices continue to rise, which seems to be more durable than Biden's imagination. Therefore, market opinion also judges that the Fed will move ahead and raise interest rates in March ahead of schedule.

But while U.S. inflation hit a 40-year high, what happened in June 1982, when the last record happened? Why is soaring U.S. inflation more difficult to suppress than Washington thinks? Why did Biden fail to act, and what are his political and economic concerns? The latest consumer price index released by the U.S. Department of Labor on the 12th is the inflation report for December 2021. Compared with the same period in 2020 the previous year, the average domestic inflation in the United States came to 7%. Among them, the "Core Price Index", which integrates food prices, fuel prices... The number is a little slower, but it is the largest increase since 1991.

The report shows that in addition to the core price index, the two major price items that reflected the U.S. inflation trend in December last year were “rent” and “used car prices.” In terms of rent, the average rent in the United States has risen in the past year. The price of used cars has soared due to the "lack of cars" and "increase in new car prices" caused by the global chip shortage and supply chain disruption. It rose another 3.5% in November.

The Wall Street Journal said that the CPI report in December 2021 confirmed that the high inflation trend in the United States is more difficult than imagined. Although in terms of core price indices such as energy and food prices, the "inflation speed" in December was slightly slower than that in November, and the soaring angle of inflation also slowed down. But the inflation rate of 7% is still a "40-year high" since 7.1% in June 1982.

However, the current inflation situation in the United States is very different from that in 1982. At present, the current inflation situation in the United States is triggered by the epidemic, and it is still in the "rising stage" until now. But in the state of 1982, the U.S. economy was heading towards the "high inflation end point".

The "Financial Times" emphasized that a reasonable and moderate inflation rate is a positive indicator for the US economy, which means that demand is growing, and the market has investment incentives. Although the current CPI figure in the United States is a 40-year high since 1981, the rate of inflation has slowed down from November to December. Compared with the double-digit inflation from 1979 to 1981, thus. economy is far from a crisis at all.

But the problem is that the current wave of price inflation has begun to make the public feel pain -Especially for the middle- and lower-class income earners, their disposable daily expenses are more likely to be overwhelmed by the rising housing prices, rent and food, and daily necessities prices. At a time when the domestic epidemic in the United States is entering its "final peak", this may cause an unimaginable social crisis.

Generally speaking, the way to fight inflation is for the Fed to "raise interest rates" to cool the market. After years of quantitative easing and ultra-low interest rate policies, the Federal Reserve has repeatedly warned as early as last year that the United States will begin to "normalize monetary policy" in 2022 and gradually raise interest rates during the year.

However, as the epidemic disrupted the global market supply chain, the local epidemic situation in the United States from last winter to the present has been fluctuating due to the emergence of Omicron. For this reason, in the past few months, the US federal government has hoped to use this wave of "post-epidemic inflation" to accelerate the recovery of the market economy, and on the other hand, it also hopes to use this to promote the original "post-epidemic resignation wave". The number of American workers will also be forced to return to the job market more actively because of inflation and price pressures, so as to effectively distribute the labor force and alleviate the current "big job shortage" dilemma.

Therefore, despite the nervousness that the inflation figures have been rising for consecutive months, the executives of the administration headed by Biden still believe that this is only a "short-term effect", and there is no need to tighten the monetary policy that would have raised interest rates earlier. ecause ause according to the existing trends and figures, the domestic inflation figures in the United States still show no signs of "effective relief", and the labor ebb tide and labor shortage problems have reversed because of the outbreak of Omicron in the United States. The problem of the global supply chain is also stuck on the verge of the limit of the epidemic in China and its "zero countermeasures", and the end cannot be seen for a while. Instead, it may encounter more severe short-term supply chain disruptions after the Lunar New Year and the Beijing Winter Olympics. Therefore, after the December CPI figures came out, the Federal Reserve, which had repeatedly released rumors to "raise interest rates earlier", also strengthened the market's suggestion of raising interest rates earlier in March.

"The problem of the supply chain should be resolved soon within this year... I am more worried about the return to work of the local labor force, which may be more serious and difficult than the supply chain shock." In a statement to the House of Representatives on the 11th, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said.

The "Wall Street Journal" pointed out that due to the long holiday at the end of the year and the outbreak of the Omicron epidemic in the United States in December, the employment situation, and the morale of the resumption of work in the market are not obvious, and there is even a delay and wait-and-see situation, especially in hotels, tourism, and catering. Service providers are currently forced to sharply increase their service prices due to severe labor shortages and rising prices of everything. If the situation persists beyond the spring, it may bring another wave of operating pressure to collective closures of small and medium-sized U.S. companies.

Considering that the United States is about to usher in the "midterm elections" in November this year, electoral movements in various places and the next generation of political views in the Congress and opposition will begin to compete fiercely after the spring. If Biden is unable to effectively revive inflation, employment and people's livelihood and economic issues, "the people can feel" the post-epidemic recovery results, for the ruling Democratic Party, it will inevitably bring about a domino effect of doubts about Biden's re-election.

(Source: Compiled from Online Information)

According to the latest research in the UK, the new coronavirus loses 90% of its infectivity within 5 minutes of airborne transmission. (European News Agency)

(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 12, 2022) According to a new study, the new coronavirus loses 90% of its infectivity within 5 minutes of being in the air.

Researchers at the University of Bristol in England used special equipment to test how long the new coronavirus can survive as aerosols under various conditions of temperature, humidity, and light. The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, is the first in the world to simulate the survival of the virus after being exhaled into the air by an infected person.

The study found that the viral particles were significantly less potent and eventually killed after they left the carbon dioxide-rich human lungs.

However, the rate at which virus particles dry out depends roughly on the humidity of the surrounding air. At less than 50% humidity, like the air in an office, the virus loses half of its infectivity within 10 seconds of airborne transmission; at 90% humidity, like the air in a sauna or shower, about 52 % of the virus particles were still infectious after five minutes, dropping to around 10% after 20 minutes.

Jonathan Reid, the lead author of the study and director of the Aerosol Research Center at the University of Bristol in England, said that people have been concerned about poorly ventilated environments, thinking that virus particles can be spread in the air for several meters or an entire room. Not that it won't happen, but I still think the biggest risk is when you're close to someone."

"As you go further, not only are the aerosols diluted, but the infectious virus is also reduced because the virus has lost its infectivity over time," he said.

According to the study, air temperature had no effect on the infectivity of the virus. It was widely believed that the transmission rate of the virus would decrease in warm weather conditions.

"It means that if I meet friends for lunch at a bar today, the main risk is probably that I infect my friends or my friends infect me, rather than someone on the other side of the room," Reed said.

(Source: Compiled from Online Information)

Experts say N95 masks can be reused depending on the situation. (Associated Press)

(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 12, 2022) To improve resistance to highly contagious strains of the Omicron virus, health experts are recommending that people switch to higher-protection N95, KN95 or KF94 masks during a surge in cases. However, the disadvantage is that it cannot be thrown into the washing machine like a cloth mask. Disposable masks such as N95 are not only used once, but they cannot be reused for a long time. How long will it last? Experts say: It depends. Matt Carlson, chief of safety at UC San Francisco Hospital, said that there is generally no consensus on how many times masks such as N95 can be worn, but decisions should be made based on a number of variables, including mask quality, long-term fit and integrity sex, and the environment in which people wear them.

As the name suggests, N95 and KN95 masks can effectively filter up to 95% of suspended particulates in the air. N95 is a mask that meets U.S. standards and is also recognized by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. KN95 is a mask that meets Chinese standards. KF94 is a mask that meets South Korean standards and can filter up to 94% of suspended particles in the air, which is basically equivalent to South Korea's N95 mask.

When will old masks be phased out?

Experts say that no matter which type of mask is used, the longer it is worn, the looser the elastic band and mask fit, and frequent touching or removal of the mask also increases the chance of compromising the structural integrity of the mask. Carson said that to determine whether a mask can continue to be used, it should be frequently observed for its quality, such as whether the filter layer is visibly wet or stained, or whether the edge of the mask can no longer fit closely to the face. If so, it should be replaced with a new mask. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, associate dean of Population Health and Health Equity at UC San Francisco, said that in general, she won't wear an N95 mask more than five times. Dirty or wet, it will be thrown away. Some experts say a mask can be reused for up to a week if handled and stored properly. However, if the mask has been worn in a high-risk setting like a hospital, the safest thing to do is to throw it away.

How to handle and save?

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges the public not to touch the front of the mask when wearing it, because the virus on the hands may contaminate the mask, and vice versa. When removing the mask, grasp the elastic band to remove it. When removing a mask while eating in a public place, it is best to keep it clean by putting it in your pocket, purse or paper bag, and then cleaning your hands. Also wash your hands again after putting the mask back on. If you want to reuse the mask, the CDC recommends placing the mask in a dry, ventilated bag, such as a paper bag or a mesh cloth bag.

Bibbins-Domingo pointed out that UCSF staff would put masks in paper bags with their names on them, hang them to dry, and then reuse them.

Can masks be sterilized?

At present, there is no way for the public to disinfect masks by themselves. "While there are some technologies that can effectively disinfect disposable masks, they are only available to medical units in crisis situations," Carson said. Therefore, when the mask is no longer suitable for continued use, it should be discarded.

(Source: Compiled from Online Information)

From January 10 to 14, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Los Angeles has suspended the on-site queue registration from 1:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. to register at the counter for consular services. (File photo of World News)

(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 12, 2022)The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles has suspended the on-site queue registration and walk-in consular services from 1:15 pm to 3:45 pm from January 10th to 14th due to a worker who was diagnosed with Omicron. In addition, due to the outbreak of the Omicron variant virus, the venue of the L.A. TECO Center will not be open to the public since January 12.

According to a post on the official Facebook page of the scripture office, a worker from the office was diagnosed by PCR on January 9 and is currently under home isolation. The department has also taken relevant epidemic prevention measures in accordance with the relevant regulations of the US CDC.

For the health of all staff and the people who go to the office, the scripture office has suspended the on-site queuing for registration and over-the-counter service. The public is requested to use mail or make an appointment to apply for over the counter at the office. If you have urgent business needs, please call the Consular Consultation Hotline (213-389-1215) or email (该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。); in case of major accidents and disasters, please call the emergency assistance hotline: 213-923- 3591.

The venue of the L.A. TECO Center will be temporarily closed to the public from January 12. Book borrowing is made by phone reservation and real-name registration. If the public has any business needs, please make an appointment in writing or by phone.

(Source: Compiled from Online Information)