Agreement for global access to Merck's anti-Covid pill, Australians authorized to travel again, the Kremlin is worried about Russians' travel during the non-working period ...
Le Figaro
takes stock this Wednesday, October 27 on the latest information related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
To discover
Covid-19: what we know about the Delta variant
Covid-19: the third vaccine dose, instructions for use
Read the dossierCovid-19: the coronavirus pandemic in figures and infographics
1038 patients in intensive care in French hospitals
The epidemic is experiencing a slight rebound in France where 6,489 patients are still hospitalized on Wednesday, including 283 since the day before.
They were 6,445 on Tuesday.
1,038 people are treated in critical care services - 61 were received there in the last 24 hours - against 1,049 the day before.
34 people also died from Covid in French hospitals on Wednesday, according to Public Health France, bringing the toll to 90,677 deaths in hospital since the start of the pandemic.
Read also Covid: should we abandon the idea of collective immunity?
Agreement to allow global access to Merck's anti-Covid pill
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) said it has signed a voluntary licensing agreement with Merck to facilitate affordable global access to molnupiravir, the experimental oral antiviral drug against Covid-19, developed by Merck.
Subject to regulatory approval, the deal will help broaden access to molnupiravir in 105 low- and middle-income countries.
The drug regulatory authorities in the United States and the European Union have already launched an evaluation of this drug.
Read also France has ordered 50,000 doses of anti-Covid treatment from the Merck laboratory
"The situation is complicated" at the hospital, recognizes Véran
Eighteen months of health crisis have left the hospital on the brink of collapse.
In an interview with
Liberation
, the Minister of Solidarity and Health underlines the difficulties encountered by staff today.
Exhausted by long months of mobilization without downtime, a "
number
" of services are today "
forced to temporarily close, or to reduce the wing, for lack of caregivers
", admits Olivier Véran.
To read also Emissions, absenteeism, closure of beds: "The situation is complicated" in the hospital, recognizes Véran
Quoted by our colleagues, a survey conducted by the President of the Scientific Council, Jean-François Delfraissy, concludes that approximately one in five beds would be closed today in the CHU and CHR in France.
According to our information, the figure of 20% comes from an annex to the opinion of the Scientific Council dated October 5.
Despite the successful vaccination campaign, the health care system could find itself overwhelmed, due, in particular, to "
the exhaustion of caregivers which reduces the capacity to take charge of patients"
, the document reads.
»SEE ALSO -
20% closed beds in hospitals?
Attal announces that it has launched an investigation
Australians re-allowed to travel
Australia will lift the ban on unauthorized travel abroad for fully vaccinated citizens, the government said on Wednesday, while the country's borders are expected to be open to skilled workers and international students by the end of the year.
Read alsoAustralia re-authorizes its citizens to travel
No vaccination obligation in the event of sick leave, an administrative judge decides
The vaccination obligation does not apply to caregivers on sick leave at the entry into force of the law, estimated the summary judge of the administrative court of Grenoble by invalidating the suspension of nine hospital workers in Drôme.
In his order mentioned Wednesday by France Bleu and of which AFP had a copy, the summary judge considers that the provisions of the law of August 5
"do not apply to the agent who, placed on sick leave in the date of their entry into force, is not able to exercise its activity ”.
Read also Vaccination obligation for caregivers: overseas lagging behind
"The sick leave of these people, who are carers or administrative staff of the hospitals of Romans-sur-Isère and Saint-Vallier, was prescribed before the entry into force of the vaccination obligation on September 15"
, underlines their lawyer, Marie-Valérie Pinet, of the Valence bar.
The nine agents therefore contested their suspension by the management of these establishments, which deprived them of remuneration since September 15 on the grounds that they did not justify their vaccination.
»SEE ALSO -
Vaccination obligation and health pass: a legal puzzle?
United Kingdom: mixed results for the tracing of the Covid
The disputed virus screening and tracing program in the UK has cost £ 37 billion, one of the largest sums ever spent on public health action in the country, with results seen as mixed, according to a report by the United Kingdom. Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts published Wednesday.
The Commission considers that the
"Test and Trace" program "has not achieved its main objective, namely to avoid another lockdown"
, since it was launched in May 2020 and that two lockdowns have been put in place since the end. October 2020.
Read alsoUnited Kingdom: Tracing the Covid cost 37 billion pounds for a mixed record, according to a report
Kremlin worries about Russian travel during nonworking period
The Kremlin expressed concern on Wednesday about the explosion of trips and vacations planned by the Russians during a nonworking week, decreed from October 30 to November 7, to fight against a deadly wave of Covid-19.
President Vladimir Putin ordered this non-working week to try to break the chains of contamination, while the situation has worsened in Russia for several weeks.
The country continues to beat new records of deaths and daily cases, a massacre which is explained in particular by a low rate of vaccination and the very uncertain compliance with protective measures.
Read alsoRussia faces its worst wave of Covid
However, it seems that a large number of Russians intend to take advantage of these holidays to go on vacation, especially in the seaside town of Sochi, on the shores of the Black Sea, where the mayor has said to expect the arrival of some 100,000 tourists.
Asked about this rush, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters that such behavior can have
"epidemiological consequences
", even if
"it is not prohibited".
»SEE ALSO -
Faced with the progression of the Covid-19, Russia decrees a week off
German Interior Minister urges Kimmich to get vaccinated
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer on Wednesday urged the charismatic Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich,
"as a role model"
for citizens, to be vaccinated.
“Think it over again and get vaccinated!”
Horst Seehofer, interviewed by
Bild
, told him
.
“You are a role model: if you get vaccinated, other people will say 'me too',”
he added.
The 26-year-old midfielder has sparked widespread controversy in the country after revealing last weekend that he was not vaccinated against Covid-19.
"It is not because I am opposed to vaccination"
, assured Kimmich, who, to justify his choice, evoked
"personal reasons"
, affirming to have doubts on the long-term effects of vaccination.
However, he did not close the door to a future vaccination.
Read also Bundesliga: the non-vaccination of Kimmich (Bayern) relaunches the debate in Germany
No Australian Open for unvaccinated players
The state of Victoria, whose capital Melbourne will host the Australian Open in January, on Wednesday ruled out granting a special exemption to unvaccinated players to participate in the tournament, which could exclude the competition from the tournament. defending champion and world No.1 Novak Djokovic.
Read alsoIs the world of sport anti-vaccine?
The Covid, "challenge number 1" of the Beijing Olympics
Epidemic prevention will be
"the number one challenge"
of the Beijing Winter Olympics, organizers said on Wednesday, a hundred days before the start of the events in the Chinese capital.
The games to be held from February 4 to 20 will take place in a
"bubble"
intended to eliminate any risk of contamination to the rest of China.
The expected 2,900 athletes will either have to have been fully vaccinated or undergo a strict 21-day quarantine upon arrival in the country.
Only spectators already present in China will be able to attend the events.
»SEE ALSO -
In Beijing, fear and excitement 100 days before the Olympics, after cases of Covid-19
More than 4.96 million dead
The pandemic has killed at least 4,960,994 people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP from official sources on Wednesday at 10:00 GMT.
The United States is the most bereaved country with 738,883 dead, followed by Brazil (606,246), India (455,653), Mexico (286,888) and Russia (233,898).
By taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates that the global toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher.