[ti:South Korea OKs Single Test for COVID-19 and Flu] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:02.16]Health officials in South Korea have approved a new test [00:08.44]for the disease COVID-19. [00:12.48]The test can identify both signs of COVID-19 [00:19.08]and seasonal influenza from the same blood samples. [00:25.60]Officials say the exam could help prevent problems at hospitals [00:32.84]as the medical community continues battling the coronavirus. [00:39.52]As the COVID-19 health crisis stretches into the flu season, [00:46.80]South Korea, like most nations, has struggled to control the virus. [00:54.08]Some experts are warning that the virus could spread easily [00:59.88]during cold weather when people spend more time indoors. [01:06.72]The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency [01:12.16]reported 118 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. [01:19.48]Most of the cases were in Seoul, a densely populated city. [01:26.28]The number of infections nationwide is 26,925, [01:34.84]including 474 deaths. [01:39.68]South Koreans have been increasingly going out in public [01:44.48]after the government eased social distancing restrictions [01:49.72]last month to help the weak economy. [01:54.00]Health officials have used trace contacts [01:58.56]and other measures to control the virus, [02:02.04]but "such efforts have been outpaced [02:06.24]by the speed of viral spread," [02:09.60]noted Health Ministry official Yoon Taeho. [02:14.84]Yoon spoke during a press conference. [02:19.68]The new test targets genes [02:22.48]that are found in both COVID-19 and seasonal flu. [02:27.00]The test is a more complex version of the tests that are used [02:33.24]to identify COVID-19 from fluids taken from noses or throats. [02:40.96]Laboratories use machines to enlarge genetic materials [02:47.24]so that even very small amounts of the virus can be measured. [02:53.28]COVID-19 and the flu are hard to tell apart by their symptoms, said Yoon. [03:00.32]So, getting an answer in three to six hours would help patients [03:06.08]and "also reduce the burden of medical workers," he added. [03:12.12]Also, on Wednesday, India's capital New Delhi [03:16.60]reported a record high of 6,725 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. [03:27.76]It is the highest number of new cases since March. [03:32.52]New Delhi has been reporting about 5,200 infections a day this past week. [03:41.72]India has a total of 8.3 million cases, [03:47.12]with 123,611 deaths from COVID-19. [03:55.64]In Sri Lanka, more than 200 policemen have been infected with the coronavirus [04:02.12]as cases increase in and around the capital, Colombo. [04:08.12]Another 2,200 officers have been quarantined because of the virus. [04:16.48]Health officials have linked the infections to the country's main fish market. [04:22.72]Sri Lanka's total number of cases since March [04:27.40]have reached 11,744, including 23 deaths. [04:35.20]The government has ordered a curfew [04:38.52]in the densely populated Western province. [04:42.52]Officials have closed schools and major public offices, [04:47.68]and banned public gatherings. [04:50.88]I'm Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM