Alert level raised in the United Kingdom, nearly 44,000 cases detected in France this Sunday, the Omicron variant analyzed by the WHO ...
Le Figaro
takes stock this Friday, December 10 on the latest information related to the Covid pandemic -19.
43,848 cases detected in France in the last 24 hours
In its latest daily bulletin, Public Health France reports 43,848 cases of Covid-19 detected this Sunday.
On Saturday, in an interview with
Le
Parisien
, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran estimated that "
we are reaching the peak
" of the fifth wave.
The number of contaminations seems indeed on a downward slope, since 53,720 cases had been detected on Saturday.
Read alsoCovid-19: are we approaching the peak of the fifth wave?
Alert level raised in the United Kingdom
Health officials in the UK announced on Sunday raising the Covid alert level due to a "
rapid increase
" in cases of the Omicron variant.
The level is reduced from three to four, which is the second highest level and indicates that "
transmission is high and the pressure on health services is widespread and significant or increasing
".
Read alsoThe Omicron variant sets up in Europe
The British government has already announced additional measures to combat the spread of the variant, including the extension of the vaccine booster campaign to over 30s from Monday.
From Tuesday, fully vaccinated contact cases of people who test positive for Covid-19 will also be asked to perform antigen tests daily for seven days, while those who are not vaccinated must remain isolated for ten days.
Vaccines arguably less effective against Omicron, WHO warns
The Omicron variant appears to spread faster than the Delta variant, causing less severe symptoms and making vaccines less effective, the WHO said on Sunday, stressing that the data remains very patchy.
Omicron is now present in 63 countries, according to the organization.
Boris Johnson in turmoil
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of cultivating a '
culture of disregarding the rules
' in government after a photo was released on Sunday showing him taking a quiz in December 2020 at a time when Britons were being asked to limit their social interactions.
Read alsoHow the health instructions revive the trial as an example of politicians
The new revelation comes on top of a string of scandals that are damaging the Tory leader's credibility as he calls on Britons to comply with new rules to tackle the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the country.
The British blame him in particular for a party which was allegedly organized in Downing Street on December 18, 2020 when they themselves were deprived of celebrations because of the coronavirus.
A leaked video showing Boris Johnson collaborators joking about the "
Christmas party
" added fuel to the fire.
Thousands of demonstrators in Austria
Thousands of demonstrators descended on several cities in Austria on Sunday to protest against the compulsory vaccination project and the anti-Covid restrictions, while the lockdown was lifted today for those vaccinated but remains in force for those who have not. not received an injection.
Read also In Austria, the start of the winter season upset by confinement
The mobilization was strongest in Graz (south), where the police counted some 17,000 people.
In the west of the country, there were 9,000 in Bregenz, 6,000 in Innsbruck and 4,500 in Salzburg.
The day before, 44,000 people protested in Vienna, especially at the call of the extreme right.
The police reported 771 tickets, mostly for breaches of the obligation to wear a mask.
Vaccination of children is "a necessity", for Jean Castex
French Prime Minister Jean Castex estimated that the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 against Covid-19 was "
a necessity
", in an interview with France Bleu Alsace.
"
Vaccination of children is a necessity
" between 5 and 11 years, declared the Prime Minister on the local radio, estimating that the youngest "
are transmitters
" of the virus.
“
I am a living example
,” he continued.
"
It was my 11 year old daughter who gave me the virus a few weeks ago
."
More than 5.3 million dead
The pandemic has killed at least 5,300,591 million people worldwide since the end of 2019, according to an assessment established by AFP from official sources, Sunday at 11:00 GMT.
The United States is the most bereaved country with 797,179 dead, ahead of Brazil (616,744), India (475,434), Mexico (296,620) and Russia (289,483).
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic in the world could be two to three times higher.