UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – New measures, new reports and highlights: Le Figaro provides an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Spanish government announces end of inner mask, China passes 20,000 daily cases limit, Nigeria lifts most anti-covid restrictions… Le Figaro will provide an update on the latest information regarding the Covid-19 pandemic on Wednesday, April 6.
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116 deaths in 24 hours, more than 23,000 hospitalized
The epidemic continues in France, where 116 people died this Wednesday from Covid, according to the daily report from Public Health France. 23,013 patients have been hospitalized (up from 23,010 on Tuesday), including 1,948 who arrived within 24 hours. 1,561 people are being treated in intensive care units.
The number of infections has not increased again: with 161,950 positive cases registered in 24 hours by Public Health France, the average over the past seven days stands at 134,991 after crossing 140,000 on Friday.
Read the fileCovid-19: the coronavirus pandemic in numbers and infographics
European Union health authorities allow a second booster dose for people over 80
European Union health authorities gave the green light on Wednesday for a second booster dose of vaccines anti-Covid from Moderna and Pfizer to people over 80, but thought it premature to give a recommendation for the younger population.
A second booster dose can be given to adults 80 years and older because of the “higher risk of developing a severe form of Covid-19 for this age group” and from “the protection offered by a fourth doseThe European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in a press release.
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Germany waives isolation requirement in case of infection
Despite criticism, the German government gave up on Wednesday to suspend the isolation obligation in the event of contamination with from 1 May COVID-19† †It was a mistake for which I am personally responsible. It gave the wrong signal” said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach to the press, fearing that this measure will eventually “minimize the pandemic†
The minister in the government of Olaf Scholz announced on Monday that the insulation requirement, currently seven days for a negative test, will be lifted from May 1. This decision, taken with the representatives of the 16 German Länder, immediately aroused criticism from associations and the opposition. The end of mandatory isolationendangers human liveshad warned the social association VdK, which campaigns for access to care.
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Spain: Government announces end of indoor mask on April 20
The Spanish government announced on Wednesday the end of the mask indoors, except in transport or hospitals, from April 20. †We will present a decree during the Council of Ministers on April 19 where the mask will no longer be mandatory inside” and which comes into force after its “publication in the official gazette on April 20Health Minister Carolina Darias declared at the end of a meeting of regional health officials in Toledo (center). However, the mask remains mandatory in health centers, hospitals, retirement homes and on public transport, she said.
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While the mask is no longer mandatory indoors in many countries, the Spanish government preferred to wait until Holy Week (10-17 April), when Spaniards gather with their families, before ending the obligation to wear it. Wearing a mask indoors was one of the last remaining restrictions in Spain.
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China passes the 20,000 daily cases mark
The China announced a record 20,000 Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours on Wednesday, the most in Shanghai, which is about to open a massive 40,000-seat field hospital. The country where the coronavirus was first diagnosed at the end of 2019 had largely managed to contain the epidemic until March 2021 thanks to very strict measures united under the name Covid zero.
But the Omicron variant has beaten this strategy, with daily reports now exceeding official counts of the first epidemic wave in Wuhan (center). The world’s most populous country announced 20,472 positive cases in the past 24 hours on Wednesday, a small figure compared to many countries’ balance sheets, but high for China, where daily totals were barely above 100 in February. Only on Sunday was the bar of 10,000 daily cases exceeded.
No new deaths have been recorded, the health ministry said. The last two deaths officially announced in the country date back to mid-March. More than 80% of new positive cases have been reported in Shanghai, the country’s largest city, which has been almost completely locked up since last week.
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Ministers and elected Americans positive for Covid after gala dinner
The Covid-19 made a remarkable appearance at one of the most prestigious dinners in the US capital this weekend, with ministers, elected officials and journalists attending Wednesday all sharing their positive tests. Hours apart, US Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo both announced they are positive for Covid. The two cabinet ministers of Joe Biden attended Saturday’s annual Gridiron Club dinner, an opportunity for Washington’s political and media elite to participate in a major exercise in self-mockery. Influential elected Democrat Adam Schiff, also present at this great rally, announced on Tuesday that he had tested positive for Covid.
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Chinese Kintor Announces Positive Results for Controversial Treatment
The Chinese pharmaceutical group Kintor reported positive results for an anti-covid treatment, proxalutamide, on Wednesday when it had been the subject of a health scandal in Brazil a few months earlier. †Proxalutamide shows significant reduction in hospitalizations and deathsin patients, Kintor summarizes in a press release. This is based on clinical studies conducted on several hundred patients, mainly in the United States. However, their results are not yet publicly available.
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Proxalutamide was originally a treatment project intended to reduce the production of male hormones. Kintor, for example, focuses on its use against prostate cancer. But according to the group, whose title doubled in value on the stock market after these announcements, it also has interests against the Covid. In these clinical trials, according to the group, fewer patients who received proxalutamide were hospitalized than those who received a placebo. The difference is especially significant in patients treated for more than a week, for whom no hospitalization is reported by Kintor.
The group has announced its intention to seek authorization in China and the United States, as well as in “other countriesHe had already talked about emergency clearance in Paraguay a few months ago.
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Nigeria lifts most anti-covid restrictions
The government of Nigeria has most of the Covid Restrictionsincluding a curfew and gathering restrictions imposed at the start of the outbreak in Africa’s most populous country.
†The response to Covid-19 has been revised, taking into account the reduction in the number of cases and the risk of new variants arriving in the territory, as well as the availability of vaccinesin the country, according to an official presidency document sent to AFP on Tuesday. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the country has officially recorded fewer than 260,000 cases, including 3,142 deaths.
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Air traffic resumed in February despite the Covid
Air passenger traffic, fully restored, fell only slightly at the end of February, with the first days of the war in Ukraine, the International Aviation Association Iata said on Wednesday. †Traffic recovered strongly in February 2022 compared to January 2022, with moderate impact on the Omicron variant outside AsiaIata said in a press release.
With the lifting of many restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, traffic around the world is up 115.9% year-on-year, but remains 45.5% below the figures for February 2019. Domestic traffic remains especially in China, but overall it has increased by 60.7% in one year.
International traffic recovered strongly (+256.8% year-on-year), although it remains almost 50% lower than in February 2019. Only the Asia-Pacific region remains at a very low level. The coming months look promising, Iata General Manager Willie Walsh said at a news conference.
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