Covid-19: third Saturday of demonstrations in France, China worries about increases in contamination

While the delta variant is disrupting vaccination campaigns in Europe, China is seeing its number of new infections increase.

The delta variant and its meteoric progression are a warning that should encourage action to be taken quickly before the appearance of more dangerous mutations, recalled the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday.

• More than 200,000 demonstrators for the 3rd Saturday of anti-health pass mobilization

Cries of "

freedom, freedom

", 200,000 people demonstrated throughout France including 14,000 in Paris to oppose the health pass which should come into force on August 9, after the review of the Constitutional Council.

In the main procession in Paris, thousands of demonstrators joined the Place de la Bastille, where a few hundred people refusing to disperse faced the police at the end of the afternoon.

The latter responded to the jets of projectiles with tear gas and the use of water cannons, proceeding to some arrests.

A total of 19 people were arrested, including 10 in the capital.

Read also: Covid-19: more and more anti-health pass protesters, despite the holidays

The Minister of the Interior reacted at the end of the afternoon, thanking the police and gendarmes "mobilized to supervise the demonstrations".

Three members of the police were injured on the sidelines of the Paris demonstration.

• 43 new deaths, the number of patients in critical care increases

The epidemic continues to progress in France, according to the latest figures from Public Health France.

The threshold of 1000 patients in critical care was exceeded last Thursday to reach this Saturday, July 31, 1099 patients.

The number of people hospitalized has also risen slightly to 7,409 patients against 7,363 on Friday, including 467 admitted in the past 24 hours.

On the contamination side, the number of new positive cases stood at 23,471 on Saturday against 24,309 on Friday.

The positivity rate remains stable at 4.3%.

Read also: Covid-19: does the Delta variant develop more serious forms in young people?

• China is also concerned about the delta variant

The recent spike in cases in China is due to the Delta variant, authorities said.

In total, the country has 328 new cases of infection in July, almost as many as in the period from February to June, affecting in particular cities such as Nanjing (east), not far from Shanghai, or the tourist town of Zhangjiajie. , in the province of Hunan (south).

Read also: Covid-19: the WHO investigation hampered by China

• England: pregnant women called to be vaccinated

The midwifery manager for England urged her colleagues to encourage pregnant women with very little vaccination to be given the Covid-19 serum, after a study from the University of Oxford showing the worsening of their symptoms with the Delta variant.

Read also: Covid-19: these pregnant women and people at risk who are worried about the extension of the health pass

• The return of restrictions in French Polynesia

The authorities of French Polynesia announced Friday evening the return of restrictions to stem the resumption of the epidemic, linked to the Delta variant. The incidence rate "

fell in two weeks from 6 per 100,000 inhabitants to 267 per 100,000,

" said High Commissioner Dominique Sorain, the highest representative of the French state in this archipelago of the South Pacific.