While the vaccine pass bill is under consideration in the Senate, the world is looking for the best long-term response to Covid-19: some, like Quebec, are adopting new restrictions, while others others advise against the systematic use of self-tests.
The vaccination pass for examination in the Senate
The Senate dominated by the right began on Tuesday, in a peaceful atmosphere, the examination of the bill establishing the vaccination pass that it should vote on at first reading, but at the cost of significant changes.
The day before in the Law Committee, an amendment was adopted to limit its application in time.
An “automatic shutdown” mechanism has been put in place when the number of hospitalizations linked to Covid-19 is less than 10,000 patients nationally.
To date, they amount to nearly 23,000.
At the very end of the evening, the High Assembly removed the possibility, for the owners of bars, cafes and restaurants, to verify the identity of the holders of the pass.
This controversial measure had however been maintained in committee, on "lighter terms".
Read alsoVaccination pass: among Republicans, frying on the line
In the afternoon, the Senate, on the other hand, rejected a motion to reject the text presented by the centrist Loïc Hervé, a fervent opponent of the vaccination pass as well as the health pass.
Then a series of amendments aimed at the deletion of the flagship article relating to the pass, carried by the CRCE groups with a communist and environmentalist majority, but also a handful of elected LR and Senator RN Stéphane Ravier.
The academy of medicine "in favor" of compulsory vaccination
“Let’s take the plunge
,” the Academy of Medicine said in a statement on Tuesday.
"
The doctrine of the vaccination pass must be clearly exposed and sincerely defended as a vaccination obligation, not disguised, like the other vaccination obligations currently in force",
continued the academy, recalling that
"compulsory vaccination is a civic duty and not a threat of punishment ”.
Read also "The vaccine obligation against the Covid?
It is legally possible in France ”
The United States "on the threshold" of being able to "live with"
The United States could be "on the threshold" of a transition period, after which it will become possible to "live with" the virus, said Dr Anthony Fauci.
The White House adviser on the health crisis is betting on a
"combination between good basic immunity and the possibility of treating a person at risk".
"We are not at the point where we can say in an acceptable way, + live with + (...) but I think we will get there
," said Dr Fauci.
The country has surpassed its record for the number of people hospitalized, with nearly 146,000 infected patients currently occupying hospital beds across the country, including 24,000 in intensive care.
Read also Covid: should we abandon the idea of collective immunity?
Quebec: tax for non-vaccinated
The French-speaking province of Canada wants to introduce a new tax only for the unvaccinated.
The government of the French-speaking province of Canada hard hit by the Omicron wave wants this “health contribution” to represent a “significant amount”, still under discussion.
"It is not for all Quebecers to pay," said Quebec Prime Minister François Egault.
Read alsoAll over the world, the noose is still tightening on the unvaccinated
Mexico: systematic screening not recommended
Hugo López-Gatell, the Under Secretary for Health, on Tuesday asked the population not to be systematically tested, even if they have a cough or sore throat.
Symptoms of Covid (cough, sore throat ...) can be a sign of "other respiratory illnesses", he said.
"So instead of running to the kiosk (test center) to get tested, you have to stay at home to avoid infecting other people."
Read alsoCovid-19: are the self-tests reliable?
Booster doses, not a "viable" strategy (WHO) -
Fighting the Covid-19 pandemic with booster doses of current vaccines is not a viable strategy, experts from the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday, calling for vaccines that better prevent transmission.
"A vaccination strategy based on repeated booster
shots" of the first vaccines
"is unlikely to be appropriate or viable
," said in a press release this group of experts in charge of supervising vaccines against the coronavirus.
Read alsoCovid-19: is it useful to lower the vaccine booster period to three months?
Argentina: record number of cases
Argentina recorded a new record of contaminations in 24 hours but nevertheless reduced the isolation for contact cases vaccinated three times to spare "essential services".
According to the daily ministerial report, 134,439 new cases were identified, i.e. 34,000 more than the previous record which dated from Friday.
And 26 times more than the figures which still prevailed in mid-December (around 5,000).
Djokovic "was unaware" that he was positive during his public appearance
Novak Djokovic was probably "not aware" of his positive test result when he attended an event in Serbia without a mask, his mother said in a television interview.
The unvaccinated tennis superstar was seen in Belgrade, Serbia on December 16, after testing positive for Covid-19.
The Belgrade Tennis Federation announced the next day on its Facebook page that "the best tennis player on the planet" had awarded cups and diplomas to young players.
Nearly 5.5 million dead
The pandemic has killed nearly 5.5 million people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established Tuesday by AFP from official sources.
In absolute terms, the United States is the most bereaved country with 842,121 dead, followed by Brazil (620,238), India (484,213) and Russia (317,687).
Among the hardest hit countries, Peru is the one with the highest death toll relative to its population, followed by Bosnia and Hungary.
