72,832 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours, 3,096 patients in intensive care
Critical care services were still above the 3,000 Covid-19 patient mark on Tuesday, according to figures released by Public Health France.
These services, where the most serious cases are treated, have 3,096 patients, against 3,025 on Monday, when the 3,000 mark was crossed, the highest level since May.
There were 357 critical care admissions in 24 hours.
In total, France has 16,076 hospitalized Covid-19 patients.
Public Health France has identified 1,661 new hospitalizations in 24 hours, a level still sustained (1,466 Monday).
The number of new cases was 72,832 in 24 hours.
Over the past seven days, the average has climbed to 54,231 daily cases.
The number of deaths since the start of the epidemic has reached 121,946.
Read alsoCovid-19: Christmas restrictions for thousands of seniors
The health pass in business will not appear in the bill presented next week
“In the initial text, there will be no extension of the vaccination pass to professional circles and transport. But that could come into the debate by way of amendment ”
, reported to AFP the leader of LR deputies, Damien Abad, after a consultation of parliamentary groups by Jean Castex. The health pass in business will not appear
"obviously not in the text of the law, but by way of amendment of their majority",
according to the UDI deputy Jean-Christophe Lagarde.
The bill aiming to transform the health pass into a vaccination pass will finally be presented next Monday, December 27 in the exceptional Council of Ministers, and no longer on January 5 as was initially planned.
Parliament will be "
in a position to examine this text (...) between Christmas and New Year's Day, (...) and we are now aiming for final adoption (...) from the first half of the month of January,
”said Gabriel Attal.
In France, 20% of positive cases now relate to the Omicron variant
About 20% of positive cases for Covid-19 now fall within the highly contagious variant Omicron, which represented 10% of contaminations at the weekend, government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced on Tuesday evening.
“At the national level, the updated estimate this evening of the circulation of the Omicron variant shows 20% of the positive cases which would come under (this) variant. The estimate which had been made at the end of the week
showed
a circulation of 10% in our country ”
, declared Gabriel Attal, after a consultation of the parliamentary groups by Jean Castex.
"This increase seems to be driven by a very strong increase in contamination among young people, especially 20-40 year olds,"
he said.
In view of the screenings carried out,
"more than one in three contamination (with Covid-19) seems to be linked to the Omicron variant"
in Paris, Gabriel Attal also indicated earlier in the day.
The incidence rate of Covid-19 reached
"once again a record"
in France, at 537 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, he said.
Read also Covid: France unable to identify thousands of cases of the Omicron variant
In Europe, Omicron "dominant in several countries"
The new variant is being deployed on the Old Continent: “
Omicron is becoming, or has already become, dominant in several countries including Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom, where the figures are doubled every one and a half days to three days, resulting in unprecedented rates of transmission,
”said Dr Hans Kluge, World Health Organization (WHO) director for Europe.
Spain: record number of Covid-19 cases in 24 hours
Spain recorded a national record of 49,823 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours on Tuesday and the more contagious Omicron variant now constitutes almost half of new cases, according to the Ministry of Health.
The previous record was nearly 40,000 cases in 24 hours in mid-January, in one of the countries most affected by the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Omicron variant accounted for 47.2% of new cases diagnosed between Dec. 6 and 12,
“overtaking”
the Delta variant, according to the latest preliminary data from the Ministry of Health.
Read alsoTravel to Spain and Covid-19: form, health pass ... Everything you need to know to travel there this winter
Compulsory teleworking in Portugal, bars and nightclubs closed
Faced with a
"much more transmissible"
variant
, which already represents almost half of the new cases detected in Portugal, teleworking will become compulsory for two weeks and bars and nightclubs will be closed, Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced on Tuesday.
Limits to shopping will be restored and the presentation of a test will become mandatory to attend a show or a sporting event, as well as to go to a restaurant on Christmas Eve or New Year's Day.
Read alsoPortugal begins to vaccinate its children against Covid
Germany: no more than ten guests vaccinated for New Year's Eve
Faced with the threat of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, Germany will limit contact, even between vaccinated people, to a maximum of ten guests for the New Year's celebrations, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Tuesday.
"It is no longer time to party and spend convivial evenings in large numbers,"
said the leader after a meeting with the leaders of the 16 regional states, ensuring that
"the fifth wave is already threatening ".
This limitation will apply from December 28 for all private meetings in particular.
For the unvaccinated, the limit drops to a maximum of two guests.
In Finland, bars will have to close earlier on Christmas Eve
Bars will have to close at 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve in Finland as part of new restrictions aimed at tackling the very high level of Covid-19 contamination, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Tuesday.
"We need to take this situation seriously and react accordingly,"
Sanna Marin told reporters on the same day health officials announced more than 23,000 new cases of coronavirus in the past two weeks, an all-time high in the world. this Nordic country of 5.5 million inhabitants.
Read also Covid: bars will have to close earlier on Christmas Eve in Finland
Sweden expands vaccination pass
In Sweden, teleworking must be privileged from December 23, public events bringing together between 20 and 500 people will have to guarantee the public seats and those bringing together a larger public will have to require a vaccination pass, recommended the government. this Tuesday.
Shopping centers, bars and restaurants will no longer be able to serve customers who are standing and who do not respect at least one meter of distance.
Read alsoCovid-19: Sweden will introduce a vaccination pass for the first time
In the United States, Biden refuses to "panic"
The Omicron variant is now largely dominant (73% of new infections) in the United States. However, they are "
ready
", assured Joe Biden on Tuesday, repeating that there was no reason to "
panic
". “
I know you are tired. (...) I know you have had enough. We all want this to be over, but we're still right in the middle of it. And we are at a critical moment
, ”Joe Biden told his compatriots from the White House. He added: “
We have more tools than we have ever had. We are ready.
"
The US president, however, warned those who are not fully vaccinated, saying they had "
good reason to be concerned
" and that it was their "
patriotic duty
" to get vaccinated.
The White House had earlier detailed the strategy adopted: tests, strengthened vaccination capacities and additional resources for hospitals, but no new restrictions before Christmas
In Israel, a 4th dose for those over 60 and caregivers
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday that all Israelis over 60 and medical staff would be entitled to a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, after consulting with a panel of experts.
The statements come at a time when Israel is struggling to contain the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, decreeing travel bans and other restrictions without going as far as confining itself.
Israel bans travel to the United States
Israel has added the United States and several other countries to its red list of countries to which travel is prohibited, in an effort to combat the spread of the Omicron variant.
Among the countries added to the list are also Canada, Germany and Belgium.
Read also Omicron: Israel places several European countries on the red list
CAN and NBA maintained
Despite insistent rumors of postponement or cancellation due to Covid, the African Football Confederation has confirmed that the African Cup of Nations (CAN) will indeed be held in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6.
For its part, the NBA has no plans to interrupt the current season due to the rebound of the epidemic and is considering reducing the period during which players must stay on the sidelines if they test positive. North American Basketball League boss Adam Silver said on Tuesday.
Read alsoThe NBA does not intend to interrupt the season because of the Covid
More than 5.35 million dead
The pandemic has killed at least 5.35 million people worldwide since the WHO office in China reported the onset of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to a report compiled by AFP from official sources Tuesday at 11:00 GMT.
In absolute terms, the countries that have recorded the most deaths since January 2020 are the United States (809,958), Brazil (617,948), India (478,007) and Russia (299,249).
Reported to the population, the countries where the epidemic has wreaked the most havoc are Peru, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Hungary.
The Europe region is currently the region with the most deaths, followed by the United States / Canada region.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
