Covid-19: second Ramadan under pandemic, one million dead in Europe

Many Muslim countries are entering the period of Ramadan Tuesday, April 12, darkened for the second year in a row by the pandemic, which has already claimed a million lives in Europe.

To discover

• Covid-19: instructions for use of self-tests

Read also: Will restaurants and bars be able to reopen their terraces in mid-May?

Vaccination campaigns are ongoing.

In the UK, the goal of offering a first dose to people over 50 by mid-April was reached three days early.

• More than 2.9 million deaths worldwide

Europe crossed the threshold of one million deaths from Covid-19 on Monday, April 12, according to a count made on Monday by AFP from reports provided by the health authorities.

Read also: New cases, hospitalizations, vaccinations: all the figures and indicators to follow on the Covid-19

The 52 countries and territories of the region (which goes east to Azerbaijan and Russia) have a total of at least 1,000,288 deaths (for 46,496,560 cases), ahead of Latin America and the Caribbean (832,577 deaths), the United States / Canada (585,428 deaths) and Asia (285,824 deaths).

"

We are currently at a critical point in the pandemic,

" said Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical manager for the fight against Covid-19 at the World Health Organization (WHO), at the time when the report in the world is approaching three million deaths (2,937,355 deaths), according to an AFP report from official sources.

“

The trajectory of this pandemic is expanding rapidly.

It is growing exponentially.

This is not the situation we want to find ourselves in 16 months after the start of the pandemic, when we have effective control measures

, ”said Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical manager of the fight against Covid-19 within the World Health Organization (WHO).

• Ramadan begins, under restriction

The holy month of the Muslim religion will take place, from Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the country, between health restrictions and fears of new contamination, especially under the effect of its traditional festive meals at the end of the day of fasting.

Read also: Ramadan begins this Tuesday in France

Ramadan fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam.

During this month, Muslims must in particular refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset.

In the most populous country in the Arab world, Egypt (more than 100 million inhabitants), Ramadan begins this Tuesday and, often neglecting the wearing of masks or physical distancing, the Cairenes were busy in numbers on Monday in their latest purchases.

In France, Ramadan also begins this Tuesday.

• Success for the British vaccination campaign

The United Kingdom on Monday April 12 reached its goal of offering at least a first dose of vaccine against the coronavirus to over 50s in mid-April, a new success of the vaccination campaign to which the English can drink on the terrace after a long, confined winter.

Read also: Covid-19: where are the countries that are starting to reopen?

Faced with the health toll heavier than in any other country in Western Europe - more than 127,000 dead - the government of Boris Johnson has embarked on a mass vaccination campaign for which it manages to keep the ambitious schedule.

With three days ahead of the mid-April deadline, the goal of offering at least a first dose of vaccine to everyone over 50, to the most vulnerable or most exposed, was met on Monday. , announced in the evening Downing Street.

• British variant: no more severe forms

Two studies published Tuesday, April 12, affirm that the "British" variant of the coronavirus does not cause more serious forms of Covid-19, contrary to the conclusions of previous research, but confirm that it is much more contagious than the strains previous ones.

The authors of the first study, published in

The Lancet Infectious Diseases

, analyzed data from 341 Covid patients hospitalized in London between November 9 and December 20, with the emergence of the 501Y.V1 variant, which is now largely dominant. from Europe.

Read also: Covid-19: changes in the French variant surveillance strategy

• AstraZeneca for over 60s in Ireland

Ireland decided on Monday to reserve the AstraZeneca vaccine for the over 60s, in turn adapting its use of serum from the Anglo-Swedish laboratory because of fears around cases of rare blood clots forming.

The decision, taken in the wake of the recommendation of the committee responsible for the vaccination program, is due to enter into force on Tuesday.

• Oxygen supply failure in Romania

Three Covid-19 patients treated in an intensive care unit in Bucharest, Romania died Monday evening after a failure in the oxygen supply system, authorities said, as hospitals were overwhelmed by the third wave of the pandemic.