Moderna, which is requesting authorization for its anti-Covid vaccine for children under six, hundreds of flights canceled in China after a single case of Covid, the number of tests collapsing in France...
Le Figaro
provides an update this Thursday, April 28 on the latest information related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read the dossierCovid-19: the coronavirus pandemic in figures and infographics
The number of tests plummets by a million in a week
Contaminations are falling, and so are samples.
Last week, from April 18 to 24, the number of Covid-19 screening tests plummeted: 2.36 million of them were validated by a health professional over the period, according to data from the Drees, attached to the Ministry of Health.
A figure in free fall, down by one million compared to the previous week, or "
-29%
".
Read alsoCovid-19: the number of tests plummets by one million in one week
Marked by the Easter weekend, the past week has seen a triple move.
First, a reduced number of samples were taken on Monday, a public holiday: only 130,000, 80% less than the previous Monday.
Tuesday was then the occasion for a slight catch-up, with nearly 600,000 tests.
Finally, on the other five days of the week, demand was shy, 20% lower "
compared to the same five days of the previous week
", notes Drees.
” SEE ALSO –
Covid-19: we must not “let our guard down”, warns the WHO
Moderna seeks authorization of its anti-Covid vaccine for children under 6 in the United States
The American biotechnology company Moderna said on Thursday that it had submitted an application in the United States for authorization of its vaccine against Covid-19 for children between 6 months and 5 years old, the last age group not yet to be able to be vaccinated in this country and many others.
The file must now be examined by the American Medicines Agency (FDA), whose decisions are often referred to in the world.
Read alsoVaccines: how BioNTech and Moderna are preparing for the post-Covid era
This vaccine
“will be able to safely protect these children against SARS-CoV-2, which is so important to our ongoing battle against Covid-19, and will be especially welcomed by parents
,” a statement said. Stéphane Bancel, the boss of Moderna.
During clinical trials, the vaccine's effectiveness against symptomatic infections was 51% for babies 6 months to less than 2 years old, and 37% for children 2 to 5 years old, Moderna said.
” SEE ALSO –
“We were 800 employees in January 2020, today we are more than 2,500”: how the production of the vaccine transformed Moderna
Taiwan: more than 10,000 cases in 24 hours after the abandonment of “zero Covid”
Taiwan recorded more than 10,000 new coronavirus infections on Thursday (April 28) for the first time since the start of the pandemic, after the government's decision in early April to abandon its "
zero Covid
" strategy.
“
We have 11,353 local infections, two deaths and 164 imported cases
“, announced the Minister of Health Chen Shih-chung Thursday at a press conference.
Taiwan maintained a low infection rate for the first two years of the pandemic thanks to border closures and strict quarantine rules.
A resurgence last year had led to a new implementation of social distancing measures, costly for the economy, until the end of this wave.
Infections are now picking up again but leaders have announced that they will follow the example of other economies, such as Singapore, Australia or New Zealand, which have moved from a “
zero Covid
” strategy to the acceptance of an increase in cases.
Read alsoTaiwan: more than 10,000 cases in 24 hours after the abandonment of “zero Covid”
China: flights canceled and screening in Canton after ... a case
Almost spared by the coronavirus for two years, China has been facing an increase in cases since March, unprecedented since 2020 in its magnitude and which is affecting many provinces to varying degrees.
The metropolis of Guangzhou, a major manufacturing and commercial center, announced Thursday the screening of about a third of its 19 million inhabitants after an
“abnormal” result
of a Covid test carried out at the airport.
The majority of the day's flights have been cancelled.
The large city of Hangzhou, near Shanghai, on Wednesday evening called on 9 of its 12 million residents to get tested every 48 hours if they want to continue to have access to public spaces and public transport.
An initiative that follows the discovery of dozens of positive cases.
The Chinese Ministry of Health reported more than 11,000 new positive cases nationwide on Thursday.
” SEE ALSO –
Covid in China: residents of Beijing say they are “well prepared” in the face of the increase in cases