DIRECT. Covid-19: Portugal will ease health restrictions

The essential

• The pandemic has killed at least 4,190,383 people around the world.

• There are 29 new deaths and 25,190 new cases in France in 24 hours.

• Jean Castex considers the situation "dramatic" in Overseas.

• 4 billion doses of vaccines have been administered worldwide.

• Beijing in China is now affected by the Delta variant.

• The Court of Auditors considers the funding for research insufficient and “too dispersed”.

• Pfizer's turnover is close to $ 80 billion thanks to the vaccine.

Follow the events of the day live:

7 hours. Portugal eases restrictions thanks to the progression of vaccination.

Portugal, which is experiencing a drop in the number of new Covid-19 infections, will ease health restrictions from Sunday, thanks to the progress of vaccination. The government has planned for the gradual lifting of restrictions in three stages, depending on the progress of the vaccination rate in this country of 10 million people. From Sunday, with the objective of having 57% of the population fully vaccinated, the Portuguese authorities have decided to lift the nighttime curfew in force in the most affected regions, while shops, restaurants and Performance venues will be able to stay open until two in the morning. Teleworking will no longer be compulsory but recommended. Finally,a health pass or a negative test will continue to be required to stay in a hotel or enter restaurants on weekends.

6:55 am. Israel calls on those over 60 to receive a third dose of the vaccine.

Israel is calling on its citizens over the age of 60 to receive a third dose of the vaccine to protect against the coronavirus from Sunday as cases of contamination increase. 60-year-old President Isaac Herzog will receive the first dose of this vaccine today. According to the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer which produces the vaccine mainly used in Israel ", new studies show that a third dose has neutralizing effects against the Delta variant (which are) more than five times higher in young people and more than eleven times in older people. "

6:50 a.m.

35% more deaths in Mexico.

Compared to official figures, according to the national statistics institute, "Mexico recorded 201,163 deaths from Covid-19 in 2020, a figure higher than the 148,629 deaths confirmed by the Ministry of Health," said Julio Santaella , president of INEGI, on Twitter.

INEGI has indicated that Covid-19 has become the second leading cause of death in the country in 2020, behind heart disease and diabetes.

The difference between the numbers is that health authorities get information about deaths in hospitals, while INEGI also counts death certificates from other locations.

6:35 am. - The situation in Burma is "desperate", according to London.

The UK has warned the UN Security Council that half of the Burmese population, or around 27 million people, could be infected with Covid-19 within the next two weeks. The country had called for a meeting in response to what it called a "desperate" situation in Burma, where the military carried out a coup in February.

6:20 am. Saudi Arabia is reopening its borders to vaccinated tourists.

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will reopen its borders to vaccinated foreign tourists from August 1 after a 17-month closure due to the pandemic. Riyadh, however, has not announced the lifting of restrictions on the Omra pilgrimage, which attracts millions of Muslims from around the world each year. Travelers fully vaccinated with vaccines approved by the Saudi authorities (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson) will be able to enter the kingdom "without having to respect quarantine", if they prove a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours.

6:10 am. Japan will extend the state of emergency a week after the start of the Olympics.

The Japanese government is preparing on Friday to extend the state of health emergency in Tokyo and reinstate it in four departments, as cases of Covid-19 multiply, including among participants in the Olympics which began there has a week. The Japanese capital reported a record number of new infections (3,865), while local media reported that the number of daily cases in Japan exceeded 10,000 for the first time. Games organizers have reported 27 new cases related to the event.

6:05 am.

Turning the screw and medical aid overseas.

The military health service will send reinforcements to Martinique, which is being reconfigured for three weeks following the resurgence of the epidemic, and the first transfers of patients to the metropolis are scheduled for tomorrow.

Jean Castex was alarmed by the “dramatic” health situation in certain overseas territories, in particular because, according to him, too many inhabitants are “resistant to vaccination”.

6 hours.

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