UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – New measures, new reports and highlights: Le Figaro provides an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic.
A patient tested positive for 505 days, the WHO”highly recommended» Pfizer antiviral drug for high-risk patients, Thailand lifts final travel restrictions on vaccinated tourists… Le Figaro takes stock of the latest information regarding the Covid-19 pandemic†
Read alsoCovid-19: Chinese containment threatens global economy
139 deaths in 24 hours, 24,882 patients hospitalized
139 people died this Friday, according to the Public Health France daily report. 24,882 patients are currently hospitalized (up from 25,018 on Thursday), including 1,829 who arrived in the past 24 hours. 1645 patients are treated in the intensive care unit.
The newly identified cases of Covid-19 also amount to 88,389. The average number of infections over the past seven days, which removes the daily shocks, fell to 84,516, from 124,965 a week ago.
In terms of vaccination, 54.3 million people have received at least one dose (80.6% of the total population) and 53.4 have a full vaccination schedule (79.2%), according to figures from the Ministry of Health.
Read alsoCovid-19: Private debt accumulated during the pandemic could slow recovery
More than 11% of people aged 80 and older have received a fourth dose of the vaccine
11.2% of people over 80 received a second booster dose, said Public Health France in its weekly epidemiological update† †Of the 60-79 year olds, 2.7% had received a second booster dosethe organization said in a press release.
In addition, according to data collected for the week of April 11-17, compared to April 4-10, the number of new weekly hospitalizations of Covid patients decreased by 20%, from 10,480 to 8,348. Finally, Public Health France confirmsubiquity (from variant) Omicron in France“, which stands for “100% interpretable sequencesbetween April 4 and April 10.
Read alsoWashington announces world summit on Covid-19 on May 12
In the UK, a patient tested positive for Covid for 505 days, a record
A patient tested positive for Covid-19, stayed like this for 16 months until his death, the longest known case of infection, according to a study devoted to the evolution of the virus in immunocompromised patients. The patient, whose identity has not been released, had first tested positive in mid-2020 and had breathing problems. He remained positive on all tests (about 45) until his death 505 days later, Dr. Gaia Nebbia, co-author of the study, told AFP Friday. This is the longest-known case of Covid infection, according to a press release from the European Congress of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, which will be held in Lisbon from April 23 to 26, where the research will be presented.
The study, conducted by researchers from King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital London, looked at nine immunocompromised patients with ongoing infection with the virus between March 2020 and December 2021. All were positive for at least eight weeks, two were positive for more than a year. Of the nine patients, four died and four eventually recovered. In early 2022, one last patient was infected, 412 days after he first tested positive.
Read alsoCovid-19: the obligation of the inner mask ends in Spain on Wednesday
The WHO”highly recommended » Pfizer Antiviral for Patients at Risk
WHO Strongly recommended on Friday, the antiviral paxlovid from the American pharmaceutical group Pfizer for patients with less severe forms of Covid-19 and “at higher risk of hospitalization“. But similar to what happened with the Covid vaccines, the World Health Organization”is very concernedthat less affluent countries are once again struggling to access this drug.
“SEE ALSO – Covid-19: that is not allowed”Lower the guards “Warns the WHO
For WHO experts, the nirmatrelvir/ritonavir combination “is the drug of choicefor unvaccinated, elderly or immunocompromised patients, according to an article in the British Journal of Medicine. For the same type of patients and symptoms, the WHO also has a “weak recommendation“For remdesivir from the American lab Gilead, which she had advised against until then. Paxlovid should be preferred over Merck’s molnupiravir or remdesivir, as well as monoclonal antibodies, says the organization, which continues to campaign for vaccination.
Read alsoHas the French social model adapted to the post-Covid economy of the 21st century?
India: World’s Largest Vaccine Manufacturer Stops Production of AstraZeneca Due to Lack of Demand
The world’s largest vaccine maker, the India-based Serum Institute of India, announced Friday that it would halt production of licensed Covid vaccines. Astra Zeneca, following a collapse in domestic and global demand. The Serum Institute has produced more than a billion doses of Covishield – the Indian version of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca – and was one of the largest contributors to the Covax program, set up under the auspices of the UN to supply the poorest countries.
While there is an abundance of anti-Covid vaccines on a global scale today, the Indian manufacturer’s decision stands in stark contrast to the situation that prevailed in India a year ago. This country of 1.4 billion people, considered the “world pharmacy“, then had to drastically curtail its exports of anti-Covid doses to cope with a spate of new cases that put the entire health system at risk.
Read alsoCovid-19: do you still need to be vaccinated?
Thailand lifts latest travel restrictions for vaccinated tourists
The Thailand lifts the final restrictions on vaccinated travelers from May 1 to revitalize the vital tourism sector, still badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. End of PCR testing, end of obligation to isolate in a hotel pending results, visitors need only to attest to a full vaccination schedule and a minimum of $10,000 medical insurance, authorities announced Friday.
Tourists who have not been vaccinated have a choice: present a negative result on a PCR test performed within three days of their arrival or remain in quarantine for five days in a hotel. Lifting the last restrictions”will boost economic recovery as we are a country heavily dependent on tourismsaid Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha.
Read alsoWhere can we travel? Our map of open countries and restrictions for French tourists
In Brazil, the Carnival of Rio resumes this Friday, after two years of Covid
After two years of painful abstinence due to Covid, Rio finds its carnival on Friday night with the first night of parades in the sambodrome, determined to restore all its brilliance in this lavish, unfettered, irreverent celebration. From 10 p.m. (Saturday 3 p.m. in France), 75,000 cheering spectators shake the stands that overlook the famous avenue on which the first six samba schools will parade, one hour each, in an orgy of sequins, feathers and deafening drums, around gigantic tanks.
» SEE ALSO – Covid-19: Rio Carnival is finally back
Like every year, millions of Brazilians will be glued to their televisions for the live broadcast of this enchantment until dawn. Every year except last year. The cancellation of the carnival due to the pandemic was perceived as a national drama, as it is in the DNA of a people who love samba. The 2022 edition will be held on an unusual date, two months behind schedule, with the Omicron variant having chilled authorities and organizers, who preferred to postpone the massive celebration.
Of the roughly 40,000 dancers and percussionists in glittering costumes who will parade for two nights, most will certainly have lost a family member or friend in the pandemic that has bled the country, killing at least 660,000 and causing an economic recession.
