WHO is monitoring the "
Mu
"
variant
, Gabriel Attal calls for "
cautious optimism
" on the health situation, the health pass maintained by justice in Parisian shopping centers ... Le
Figaro
takes stock this Wednesday, September 1 on the latest information related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
To discover
Covid-19: what we know about the Delta variant
WHO monitors '
Mu
'
variant
The World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring a new variant of the coronavirus, dubbed "
Mu
", which was first identified in Colombia in January, she said overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
This variant has mutations that could indicate a risk of "
immune escape
" (resistance to vaccines), according to the WHO, which deems additional studies necessary to better understand its characteristics.
All viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 responsible for Covid-19, mutate over time, sometimes without major impact on their properties, sometimes increasing their spread or severity.
Read also Covid-19: should we fear the arrival of a "super-variant" by 2022?
"
Cautious optimism
" in metropolitan France, "
worrying
" situation
overseas, according to Gabriel Attal
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Wednesday dissociated the health situation in metropolitan France, which allows “
cautious optimism
”, from that, still “
extremely worrying
” in the Overseas Territories, where the state of health emergency can be extended until 'to November 15. "
Our country is now experiencing a two-speed epidemic
", summed up the spokesperson at the end of the Council of Ministers, announcing the adoption of a bill to extend the state of health emergency after September 30 “
in all of these overseas territories
”. This state of emergency regime "
can last until November 15,
" he said.
Gabriel Attal underlined the positive effects of strict confinements, which have "
made it possible to curb the epidemic, especially in the West Indies, where the incidence rates have significantly decreased in recent days
".
However, "
vaccination remains too low
" overseas and, "
even if it tends to progress, the situation remains extremely worrying
", said Gabriel Attal, citing the case of West Indian hospitals "
still under very high tension
" .
Already 1,500 caregivers have left the metropolis since this summer to help fight the epidemic overseas, he recalled.
Read also Covid-19: is France really close to the end of the crisis?
The health pass maintained by the courts in Parisian shopping centers
The request to suspend the prefectural decree imposing the control of the health pass in large Parisian shopping centers was rejected by the Paris administrative court, AFP learned on Wednesday, but the applicant announced his intention to appeal. While the administrative courts competent for Yvelines, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine or even Haut-Rhin had decided to suspend prefectural decrees imposing this control, the administrative court of Paris rejected the requests for suspension which were presented to him on Tuesday, according to the decision consulted by AFP.
"
The administrative court rejected the requests filed, considering in a very surprising way that there was no urgency to rule
", reacted to AFP one of the lawyers who lodged an appeal, Yoann Sibille.
"
The basic issue relating to the legality of the prefectural decree has not been dealt with at all by the court,
" he further commented.
Read also Health pass: employers have little room for maneuver
The CGT-Santé calls for a demonstration on September 14 against the vaccine obligation
The CGT-Health calls for demonstrations on September 14 against the vaccination obligation and the sanctions that will apply the next day to staff in hospitals and nursing homes, its secretary general Mireille Stivala told AFP on Wednesday. "
We do not want sanctions for employees
" who will not be vaccinated against Covid-19, explains Mireille Stivala, fearing that the vaccination obligation "
generates unmanageable tensions on the workforce
".
As of September 15, those who have not received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine may be suspended, without pay.
On October 15, the punishment will be extended to all those who do not justify a complete vaccination schedule.
It can last until November 15, the expected date of exit from the state of health emergency.
But "
we do not have the luxury of doing without our unvaccinated colleagues
," says the union official, who on the contrary calls for massive hiring in hospitals and nursing homes.
Read alsoCovid-19: Portugal, a good pupil of vaccination
European manager Thierry Breton defends the 3rd dose after criticism from the WHO
The European Commissioner responsible for coordinating the EU's supply of anti-covid vaccines, Thierry Breton, on Wednesday rejected WHO's criticism of the 3rd booster doses in rich countries while poor countries are still awaiting their first doses. The 300 to 350 million doses of vaccines needed to carry out vaccine boosters in the EU would represent only one month of European production, he explained.
“
That means a month of production.
This is what we are talking about,
”the Internal Market Commissioner told journalists in Brussels.
"
I understand the message, but the figures do not support it insofar as we are going to produce in Europe and the United States 500 to 600 million doses per month
", he added.
The World Health Organization (WHO) denounced on August 18 the rush of rich countries for a 3rd dose of vaccine against Covid, stressing that scientific data had not demonstrated their need at this stage.
"SEE ALSO - Third dose of vaccine:"
There will be no shortage, we have prepared
", assures Thierry Breton
Increased risk of myocarditis for Covid-19 patients
The risk of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, is increased for patients with Covid-19, according to a large American study providing a strong argument in favor of vaccination.
The risk of developing myocarditis had indeed been pointed out after the administration of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, especially in boys and young men.
But that risk is high after infection with the disease itself, according to this new study from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), which analyzed data from consultations in more than 900 hospitals.
Read alsoThese treatments against Covid expected by the end of the year
Greece: compulsory vaccination of caregivers
Compulsory vaccination for health workers enters into force Wednesday in Greece, under penalty of dismissal.
The measure was announced on July 12 by the government.
Some 10,000 unvaccinated professionals to date are affected by a threat of suspension in the country, or 10% of the total workforce, according to estimates by the National Federation of Public Hospital Workers.
Read alsoVaccines: Israel, shown as an example and then caught by the virus
Euro zone: unemployment continues to decline
The euro zone unemployment rate continued to decline in July, affecting 7.6% of the working population, after 8% in May and 7.8% in June, Eurostat announced on Wednesday.
The rebound in the European economy since the spring, after the shock linked to the coronavirus pandemic, is reflected in the labor market.
For the European Union as a whole, unemployment also fell by 0.2 point over one month to 6.9% in July, according to the European Statistics Office.
At the same time, the number of air passengers in Europe in August reached 71% of the level of 2019, against only 45% in 2020, according to the traffic monitoring body Eurocontrol, which welcomes "
a good result
" given the impact negative impact of the pandemic on air traffic.
Read alsoEconomic recovery: why the return of confidence will be essential
Google: no face-to-face obligation before January 2022
Google has postponed the mandatory return of its employees to the office until January 2022, like its neighbors in Silicon Valley, worried about the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19.
Facebook and Apple, as well as Amazon, have made similar announcements recently, often leading to debates between employees on teleworking more or less well lived.
Google is also one of the many companies that have made the vaccine mandatory for their employees.
"SEE ALSO - Face-to-face feedback in companies:"
teleworking limits the size of clusters
", argues Benjamin Rossi
Spain: return of tourists in July but far from the level before the pandemic
The arrivals of foreign tourists on Spanish territory jumped in July over a year, while remaining very far from their pre-pandemic level, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) announced on Wednesday. Over the month as a whole, Spain received 4.4 million foreign tourists, an increase of “
78.3%
” compared to “
the same month of 2020
”, strongly affected by the Covid-19 epidemic , specifies the INE in a press release.
The French were the first contingent of tourists, with 874,000 admissions, up 46.6% over one year, specifies the INE.
The Germans followed with 707,000 visitors (+ 64.5%) and the British, with 555,000 visitors (+ 46.5%).
The Balearic Islands were the main destination for foreign visitors (30% of admissions), ahead of Catalonia (18.5%).
Tourist spending also reached 5.2 billion euros, up 112% compared to 2020.
To read also "It's still painful": in Trouville-sur-Mer, tourism to the test of the health pass
4.5 million deaths worldwide
The Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 4,518,163 million people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP from official sources.
The United States has been the most affected country in the world since the start of the pandemic, with 640,108 dead, ahead of Brazil (580,413), India (439,020), Mexico (259,326) and Peru (198,295).
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 calculated from official figures.
»SEE ALSO - WHO fears 236,000 more deaths from Covid-19 in Europe by December 1