A foreseeable “
lasting peace
” in Europe, the Pfizer pill available in France, lifting of restrictions in Sweden…
Le Figaro
takes stock this Friday, February 4 on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic in the world.
A “ceasefire” of the virus in Europe
Thanks to the current strong immunity across Europe and the lesser severity of Omicron, the continent is in a situation of "
ceasefire which could bring us a lasting peace
", estimated Thursday the European branch of the World Health Organization.
Read alsoIs Covid-19 “twice” more lethal than the flu?
This situation can only last if immunity is preserved by continuing vaccination campaigns and monitoring of new variants, however, specified the Regional Director for Europe of the WHO, Hans Kluge, urging the health authorities to protect the most vulnerable populations.
The Paxlovid pill arrives in France this Friday
This Friday marks the arrival of the first antiviral pill against Covid-19 in France.
The High Authority for Health (HAS) had given Friday, January 21 the green light for its use.
A few days later, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also announced that it had approved the anti-Covid pill from the manufacturer Pfizer.
Read alsoCovid-19: what you need to know about Paxlovid, the Pfizer pill which arrives this Friday in France
The Paxlovid pill is similar to Molnupiravir, the antiviral from Merck, another American laboratory.
Specifically, it consists of a combination of two pills, taken twice daily for five days, upon diagnosis and within five days of the onset of Covid-19 symptoms.
According to clinical trials communicated by Pfizer, the risk of hospitalization and death would be reduced by 89%.
First messenger RNA vaccine produced in Africa
A South African biotech company announced on Thursday that it had made the first messenger RNA vaccine against Covid-19 on the African continent, using Moderna sequencing, and that it would be ready for clinical trials in November.
Read alsoCovid vaccine: is it possible that Pfizer has a disclaimer?
Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and is leading the pilot project, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Covax initiative.
Sweden lifts restrictions on February 9
The Swedish government announced Thursday to lift almost all of its anti-Covid measures from February 9, the pandemic entering a “
new phase
” with the contagious but a priori less severe Omicron variant.
Read alsoLifting of restrictions: where is France compared to its European neighbors?
Among the internal measures that will be lifted, bars and restaurants will no longer be required to close at 11 p.m. and the gauge for gatherings will be lifted.
In addition, requirements for vaccination certificates for public gatherings will be removed and it will no longer be recommended to wear a mask on public transport in busy times.
UK green light for Novavax vaccine
Britain on Thursday approved Novavax's anti-Covid vaccine, which becomes the fifth vaccine authorized in the country after those of AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
Read alsoCould the new Novavax vaccine convince the last recalcitrants?
Unlike the messenger RNA vaccines used by Pfizer and Moderna, the one from Novavax uses more conventional technology, similar to that of the whooping cough vaccine.
It has been approved for the over-18s for the first and second doses, while more than 84% of the population aged 12 and over have already received a second dose in the UK.
Africa must accelerate on vaccination, says WHO
Africa must "
multiply the vaccination rate
" against Covid-19 by six to hope to reach the target of 70% vaccination coverage set for the end of the first half of 2022, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) .
Africa has received "
more than 587 million doses of vaccines
" but it "
is still struggling to expand the deployment of vaccination, with only 11% of the population fully vaccinated
", lamented the WHO regional office for the 'Africa.
An Olympic athlete denounces the health protocol
Belgian sportswoman Kim Meylemans (skeleton event) was placed in solitary confinement after a positive Covid-19 test on her arrival in Beijing, and believes she has experienced "
hell
" due to the drastic health protocol of the Olympic Games-2022 .
Read also“Like the impression of being a dangerous criminal”: in Beijing, the incredible story of our reporter on his arrival at the Olympics
Kim Meylemans, who had contracted Covid-19 in early January, explained that she had carried out twelve PCR tests, all negative, before leaving for China, but she was declared positive on her arrival in Beijing and placed in solitary confinement for three days. in a hotel.
Three consecutive negative tests followed.
Scientists call for an investigation into the origins of Covid
Twenty international scientists have called on the Chinese authorities to allow a truly independent investigation into the origins of Covid-19, first detected in China at the end of 2019.
Read also“Beijing must accept an international investigation into the origins of Covid!”
"
The Chinese government's continued efforts to block a genuine investigation into the origins of the pandemic is an affront to the scientific community and people everywhere
," write these scientists from Europe, the United States, Australia, from New Zealand or from India and Japan.
More than 5.69 million dead
The pandemic has officially killed at least 5,698,322 people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP on Thursday at 11 a.m. GMT.
In absolute value, the United States is the country with the most deaths (896,359), ahead of Brazil (630,001), India (498,983) and Russia (333,357).
Peru, Bosnia and Hungary have the most deaths reported to the population.
The WHO estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than that officially established.