UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – New measures, new reports and highlights: Le Figaro takes stock of the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic.
The president of the Scientific Council who ensures that the epidemic is not « not finished » in France, the leader of the British opposition under investigation for breach of anti-Covid rules, the Asian Games 2022 postponed … Le Figaro provides an update this Friday, May 6 on the latest information related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read the fileCovid-19: the coronavirus pandemic in figures and infographics
21,277 patients hospitalized in France
The pressure on hospitals continues to decrease in France, according to data from Public Health France. In total, French hospitals had 21,277 patients affected by Covid this Friday, against 21,880 the day before. Among them, 1,408 were admitted to critical care, including 102 admissions in the last 24 hours. The macabre count of the pandemic continues: 104 deaths are to be deplored in hospitals in the last 24 hours. 40,224 new cases have also been detected in the past 24 hours, compared to 44,225 the day before. The test positivity rate stands at 21.9%.
Read alsoCovid long: three quarters of hospitalized patients struggle to recover
In France, the epidemic is “controlled” but “not over”
Last week, “the slowdown in the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has been confirmed throughout the country, with a decrease in incidence rates (-39%) and positivity rates (-5 points)”, sums up the French public health agency in its weekly update published at the end of the week. If these indicators remain at a high level, the ebb is no longer in doubt: the daily average of new contaminations over seven days, which smoothes the variations, stood at 43,865 on Thursday, against 80,980 the previous Thursday. A drop which is also confirmed in the hospital since 21,277 Covid patients were hospitalized on Friday, against 23,579 a week earlier.
Read alsoCovid-19: the end of the fifth wave is approaching, but not that of the pandemic, according to Jean-François Delfraissy
“At the end of May-beginning of June, there will probably be political decisions”, said Friday on France Info Jean-François Delfraissy, the president of the Scientific Council, which advises the government. Because it’s a fact: “We are coming out of this fifth wave, which has been a little longer than expected” and we can be « reasonably optimistic for France and Europe for the coming months, with probably a spring that is likely to go well », he judged. By the end of May, he predicts a drop in contamination of around 5 to 10,000 cases per day. But, he recalled, the situation was the same a year ago, before the Delta variant arrived in France in June, which reshuffled the cards. “The epidemic is under control but we all know it is not over”, warned Jean-François Delfraissy. We can indeed expect “on the appearance of a new variant: it is estimated rather at the start of the school year but perhaps it will arrive before”.
» SEE ALSO – The Covid-19 pandemic had caused between 13 and 17 million deaths by the end of 2021, according to the WHO
UK opposition leader under investigation for breach of anti-Covid rules
British Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer is in turn implicated in possible breaches of anti-Covid regulations, police said on Friday. After receiving “significant new information, (…) we can confirm that an investigation into possible breaches of the anti-Covid rules is underway”, said in a press release the police of Durham, the city in the north-east of England, place of an indoor meal in principle prohibited. A few weeks after the fine imposed on Boris Johnson in the “partygate”, the opening of this investigation places Keir Starmer in a delicate position, he who has repeatedly called on the Prime Minister to resign in the Downing Street holiday scandal during the confinements.
Read alsoUnited Kingdom: the leader of the opposition under investigation for breach of anti-Covid regulations
“Obviously we will answer all questions”underlined a Labor spokesman, repeating that“no rule was violated”. The contentious grouping dates back to April 2021 when the leader of Labor was campaigning for a partial legislative vote. Indoor gatherings were prohibited, but Keir Starmer explained that he ordered curries and beers for the team that met that evening in party premises, the only alternative according to him to closed restaurants. The police had already looked into this meal of about thirty people and concluded that“no offense had been established”, but many details have since emerged in the press, especially the tabloid DailyMailmarked on the right, who has devoted several front pages to the case in recent days.
» SEE ALSO – ‘He is incapable of leading’: UK opposition leader calls for Boris Johnson to step down
US Medicines Agency restricts access to Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine
The US Medicines Agency announced on Thursday that it is limiting Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine to adults who refuse to be vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna due to illness.« personal concerns », as well as to those unable to receive an injection of these last two vaccines for medical reasons or of limited access. The FDA said it made this decision because of the risk of serious thromboses (blood clots) associated with J&J’s vaccine.
Read alsoCovid-19: the risk of developing thrombosis is 200 times higher by catching the virus than by being vaccinated
For this same reason, the country’s main public health agency, the CDC, had already recommended in December that Americans get vaccinated against Covid-19 with Pfizer and Moderna, rather than with Johnson & Johnson. These three vaccines are the only ones authorized in the country. The limitation is now part of the emergency use authorization of the vaccine from “J&J”. The FDA has identified 60 confirmed cases of thrombosis in the United States, including nine deaths. Just under 19 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine have been administered in the country, or about 3% of total doses injected.
» SEE ALSO – Covid-19: US ‘ready’ to vaccinate children under 5, pending US Medicines Agency green light
2022 Asian Games postponed due to Covid
« The Olympic Council of Asia has announced that the 19th Asian Games, which were originally scheduled to be held (…) from September 10 to 25, 2022, are postponed », said CCTV on the Chinese social network Weibo. “New dates will be announced at a later date,” said the television. In a statement, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) justifies the decision by « the health situation » in China. The organizers had planned to apply a coronavirus prevention plan based on that of the last Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in February in Beijing, which had been a success in terms of health.
Read alsoChina in the “zero Covid” trap
But the recent resurgence of the epidemic had not yet begun. However, the Chinese authorities are concerned to avoid any contamination within the population and have applied a zero Covid strategy since 2020. The competitions were to be held in Hangzhou (east), less than 200 km southwest of Shanghai, the city by far the most affected by the recent epidemic outbreak and where the population has been confined since the beginning of April. The COA has also announced the outright cancellation of the Asian Youth Games. Postponed for the first time, they were to take place in December in the Chinese city of Shantou (south).
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