The pill against the Covid-19 Merck examined by the EMA, which China imposes confinement to some of the inhabitants of the north before the Winter Olympics, Iran reopens to tourists vaccinated ...
The Figaro
takes stock this Monday, October 25 on the latest information related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
To discover
Covid-19: the third vaccine dose, instructions for use
Read the dossierCovid-19: the coronavirus pandemic in figures and infographics
1023 patients in intensive care in French hospitals
The epidemic remains stable in France on Monday, where 6,405 patients are still hospitalized, including 269 since the day before.
They were 6,377 on Sunday.
1,023 people are treated in critical care services - 74 were received there in the past 24 hours - against 1,018 the day before.
42 people also died from Covid in French hospitals on Monday, according to Public Health France, bringing the toll to 90,605 dead in hospital since the start of the pandemic.
Read also Paid Covid-19 tests since October 15: all the answers to your questions
EMA Expedited Review of Merck's Anti-Covid Pill
The European Medicines Agency announced on Monday the launch of the expedited review of the Covid-19 pill by the American laboratory Merck, an easy-to-administer remedy destined to become a crucial tool in the fight against the pandemic because it is complementary to vaccines .
"The EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has launched an ongoing review of the oral antiviral drug molnupiravir (...) developed by Merck (...) for the treatment of Covid-19 in adults"
, which makes it possible to speed up the procedure, the European regulator based in Amsterdam said in a statement.
Read also Merck's anti-Covid pill: the European Medicines Agency announces the launch of the expedited review
Moderna announces positive results for its vaccine in young children
Moderna announced positive results for its vaccine against Covid-19 in young children on Monday, paving the way for a possible future authorization of two vaccines for this age group, with that of Pfizer.
Clinical trials conducted by Moderna on more than 4,700 participants aged 6 to 11
“demonstrate a strong immune response in this group of children one month after the second dose,”
with
“robust”
antibody levels
detected, said the company in a press release.
Read also Covid-19: Moderna will set up a first vaccine plant in Africa
The vaccine also has a
"favorable safety profile"
and was
"generally well tolerated"
, she added.
The most common side effects were fatigue, headache, fever, and pain from the injection.
"We look forward to submitting the data to global regulatory agencies
,
"
Moderna boss Stéphane Bancel said in the statement.
This should be done
"in the short term,"
according to the company.
"SEE ALSO -
Europe will make its decision on the vaccination of young children within" two months "
Targeted confinements in China before the Winter Olympics
The Chinese authorities imposed lockdowns on some of the inhabitants of the north of the country on Monday due to a rebound in Covid-19 cases, a hundred days before the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Beijing reported on Monday 39 new Covid patients, the majority of which are linked to the movements of a group of infected tourists.
A recent outbreak in Inner Mongolia has been responsible for more than 100 cases since last week.
Read alsoChina opens an ultramodern quarantine center to guard against Covid-19
The Chinese authorities, which practice a policy of
"zero tolerance"
towards the virus, immediately imposed restrictions and organized mass screening campaigns in the affected regions.
And in the wake of that of Wuhan, the Beijing marathon scheduled for Sunday has been postponed indefinitely.
»SEE ALSO -
Covid-19: hundreds of flights canceled in China after the discovery of cases
London releases £ 6 billion for health
The British Minister of Finance announced to release 6 billion additional pounds (7 billion euros) to help the British public health service (NHS) to absorb the delays accumulated during the health crisis, as part of its new budget.
Already in September, the government announced to inject 5.4 billion pounds to help this public service to
"manage the immediate pressures of the pandemic".
Read alsoCovid-19: affected by a new wave, the United Kingdom resists thanks to the vaccine
Iran reopens its doors to vaccinated tourists
Iran, the country most affected in the Middle East by the Covid-19 pandemic, has reopened its borders to vaccinated tourists, after nearly twenty months of closure due to the health crisis, authorities said on Monday.
"At the request of the ministry, the National Committee for the fight against the coronavirus has approved the opening of the country's borders to foreign tourists"
, one can read in a press release from the Iranian vice-minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage.
"Tourists who have received two doses of the anti-Covid vaccine and who present a negative PCR test certificate of less than 96 hours can obtain a visa,"
the Isna news agency said, citing the statement.
This decision does not, however, include travelers from countries considered
"high risk by the World Health Organization".
Read alsoCovid-19: Iran plans to buy 2 million doses of Pfizer vaccine
Russian caregivers accused of selling fake vaccination certificates
Russian authorities were investigating a group of St. Petersburg caregivers on Monday accused of selling fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates, as the country faces a deadly wave.
According to the Investigation Committee, a doctor and three nurses are accused of having issued official certificates without having carried out the injections, in exchange for bribes totaling more than 100,000 rubles (1,220 euros).
Information on the false vaccination of patients was then integrated into the national register of people protected against Covid-19.
At least twelve people have benefited from this system.
»SEE ALSO -
Faced with the progression of the Covid-19, Russia decrees a week off
Facebook withdraws video where Bolsonaro links vaccine and AIDS
Facebook removed a video from the platform in which Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro cited false information. During his last weekly Facebook direct on Thursday, Bolsonaro relayed information from an article according to which official reports from the British government showed that people who received the two doses of the anticovid vaccine could
"develop acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS)".
“I recommend that you read this article. I'm not going to read it here because I risk having problems with my direct (on Facebook), ”
he said, seeming to anticipate the possible deletion of this content by the social network.
In March, Facebook had already removed a video in which Jair Bolsonaro could be seen provoking a rally in the midst of the second wave of contaminations in Brazil, with more than 2,500 deaths on average per day.
But this is the first time that one of its weekly Thursday direct has been affected by such a measure.
Read also Covid in Brazil: Facebook withdraws a video where Bolsonaro links vaccine and AIDS
Grumbling of the financial sector in Hong Kong
The main lobby of the financial sector of Hong Kong, the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (Asifma), denounced Monday the policy of "zero Covid" carried out by the authorities of the territory, believing that the long quarantines imposed on the travelers strongly undermine the city's reputation in the business world.
Hong Kong has been largely spared from the pandemic, with only 213 dead and just over 12,000 cases in total for 7 million people.
But this was done at the cost of drastic isolation, with in particular a quarantine of up to 21 days imposed on any newcomer even fully vaccinated.
Read alsoCovid-19: Hong Kong suspends its order for AstraZeneca vaccines
More than 4.9 million dead
The pandemic has killed at least 4,945,746 people around the world since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP from official sources, Monday at 10:00 GMT.
The United States is the most bereaved country with 735,941 dead, followed by Brazil (605,644), India (454,712), Mexico (286,346) and Russia (231,669).
By taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates that the global toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than that officially recorded.
