Covid-19: the hypothesis of a fourth dose under study in France

A record of more than 350,000 cases in 24 hours, the hypothesis of a fourth dose under study, more than 5.49 million deaths worldwide … Le Figaro takes stock this Tuesday, January 11 on the latest information related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read alsoCovid-19: is France “the second country” which tests the most, as Jean Castex asserts?

270 deaths in 24 hours, 368,149 new cases

The epidemic continues to rage in France, where 270 people have died from Covid, indicates Public Health France on Tuesday. 23,371 patients are currently hospitalized, of which 3,149 arrived since the day before. 3,969 people are treated in critical care services – 492 of them in the last 24 hours. 368,149 new cases were detected. “We have never seen such figures since the start of the health crisis», Declared the Minister of Health Olivier Véran to the senators. The positivity rate continues to increase and stands on Tuesday at 20%.

Read alsoUnrecognized Covid tests, saturated platforms … The French overwhelmed by administrative failures

The vaccine pass in the hands of senators who demand “adjustments “

Faced with a variant “extremely virulent“According to the government and record Covid-19 contamination, the right-wing Senate in turn seized on Tuesday the bill establishing the vaccine pass, which it should vote on at first reading at the cost of”adjustments“.

Read alsoVaccination pass: the main points of the text adopted by the National Assembly

“The solid majority which will vote it will be vigilant on a certain number of conditions, in particular the defense of freedoms, the limitation in time and the always control of the Parliament.“, Explained the president LR Gérard Larcher in the morning on France Inter. He admitted that about twenty senators from his party will not support the vaccination pass.

“SEE ALSO – Covid-19:”It’s because we find a lot that we test a lot », Affirms Olivier Véran

Up to 800,000 passes possibly disabled on Saturday for lack of reminder

Up to 800,000 people who have not recalled their Covid-19 vaccine risk having their health pass deactivated on Saturday, a deadline set in November by the government, according to the Ministry of Health. As of January 9, “there are 800,000 people who still have to carry out their recall to keep their health pass“, Indicated the ministry during a point with the journalists Tuesday, while stressing however that this figure was”probably overestimated“.

The doubt relates to people with a certificate of recovery from Covid dating more than three months (this certificate being valid for 6 months). “We do not have the percentage of these people who have already made their recall“, Explained the ministry, according to which the number of 800,000 is thus”an upper bound“. “We are not immune to a good surprise and a figure which, in reality, is lower. And then we have the whole week to come for these people to call back on time“, We added from the same source.

Read alsoCovid-19: Did 89% of nursing home residents receive their booster dose?

Sluggish start to childhood vaccination in France

Between the difficulty of getting an appointment and the reluctance of many parents, the vaccination of children in France has started sluggishly: if the health authorities hope for an acceleration, some wonder if the timing is really right. First open in mid-December to children aged 5-11 years likely to develop severe forms of Covid-19, the vaccination was extended a few days later to all children of this age group. This starts “gently“, Recognized Friday Alain Fischer, the”Mr. vaccine” of the government.

As of January 9, 115,000 children in this age group had received a first injection, or 2%, the health ministry said on Tuesday. According to a survey commissioned in particular by Inserm, two-thirds of parents (67%) of children aged 5 to 11 are against their vaccination. Alain Fischer conceded that to accelerate the vaccination of the youngest, it would be necessary “do pedagogy“. He also regretted that following a request from the Council of State, the agreement of both parents, and no longer just one, is now necessary, seeing “a barrier“.

Read alsoShould children be vaccinated against Covid-19?

Vaccines: the hypothesis of a fourth dose under study in France

French scientific authorities are studying the hypothesis of a fourth dose of anti-Covid vaccine for the elderly, even if this question is for the time being “premature“The Ministry of Health said on Tuesday. “COSV (Guidance Council of the vaccine strategy, editor’s note) must deliver an opinion on this subject and we have also referred the matter to the High Authority for Health (HAS) on the issue of the fourth dose“, Said the ministry during a point with journalists.

These organizations “will tell us what to do»For the elderly or at risk whose previous dose dates back to the opening of the booster shots last September. Asked whether, in the long term, a fourth dose could be necessary to prolong the vaccination pass, the ministry replied: “The fourth dose, it is still under discussion, it is still too premature to comment on the subject“.

»SEE ALSO – Vaccination pass: LREM deputy Stéphane Claireaux attacked at his home in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon

Fighting the pandemic with booster doses is not a viable strategy, says 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, also calling for vaccines that better prevent transmission. “A vaccination strategy based on repeated boosters“Of the first vaccines”unlikely to be appropriate or viable”, Indicates in a press release this group of experts in charge of supervising vaccines against the coronavirus.

Also, these specialists consider “that Covid-19 vaccines with a high impact on transmission and prevention of infection, in addition to preventing severe forms of disease and death, are needed and must be developed“. “While waiting for such vaccines to become available, and as the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolves, it may be necessary to update the composition of current anti-Covid vaccines, in order to ensure that ‘(they) continue to provide the WHO recommended levels of protection against infection and diseaseCaused by variants, including Omicron, believes the panel.

Read alsoCovid-19: Can vaccines increase the risk of infection?

More than half of Europeans could be infected with the Omicron variant within two months, WHO estimates

More than half of Europeans could be affected by the Omicron variant within two months given the “tsunamiCurrent, estimated Tuesday the World Health Organization (WHO), two years exactly after the announcement of the first death officially linked to the coronavirus in China. This rapid transmission of Omicron, including people previously infected or vaccinated, has led to an increase in hospitalizations, but the death rate remains stable, said the director of WHO Europe, Hans Kluge.

»SEE ALSO – More than half of Europeans affected by Omicron within 2 months, according to WHO

Omicron Could Cause Worst Case For Global Growth, World Bank Says

Global growth will slow this year and a worst-case scenario is not ruled out under the effect of the Omicron variant, which is spreading like wildfire on all continents, accentuating labor shortages and logistical problems, a warned the World Bank on Tuesday.

The institution revised its forecast for global GDP growth for 2022 down by 0.2 point, to 4.1%, after 5.5% in 2021, also down 0.2 point compared to the estimate. last June. But, according to different hypotheses, “Simultaneous economic disruption caused by Omicron could further reduce global growth this year, by 0.2 to 0.7 percentage points», Indicates the institution, which would drop growth to 3.9% or even 3.4%. In this worst-case scenario, “most of the shock would be felt in Q1 2022, followed by a noticeable rebound in Q2», She specifies.

Read alsoCould we really prosecute unvaccinated people who transmit Covid-19?

Record of hospitalizations in the United States

The United States surpassed its record for the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19, with nearly 146,000 infected patients currently occupying a hospital bed across the country, according to data from the US Department of Health on Tuesday. Among them, nearly 24,000 were in intensive care. The previous record stood at more than 142,000 people hospitalized, and was recorded on January 14, 2021, almost a year ago to the day.

Read alsoCovid-19: world record of more than one million cases per day in the United States

A third city confined to China

The city of Anyang, which has 5 million inhabitants in central China, has in turn been placed in quarantine after the emergence of cases of Covid, notably of the Omicron strain. It is the third city in the country to have to confine its population, after a similar measure taken last month in the metropolis of Xi’an (north).

»SEE ALSO – Covid-19: the Chinese city of Tianjin organizes massive screenings to stop the spread of the virus

A “garden party “In full confinement plunges Boris Johnson back into turmoil

A hundred people invited into full confinement: revelations about a party in Downing Street plunge back into turmoil British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, already mired in a series of scandals. “Bring your bottlesSuggested an email, revealed by ITV News and sent by Boris Johnson’s chief private secretary, Martin Reynolds, on May 20, 2020, when the British could only legally meet one person outside. The message called on “enjoy the nice weather“During a drink”with social distancingIn the gardens of the Prime Minister’s residence.

Read alsoCovid-19: does the variant called “Deltacron” really exist?

Poland crosses 100,000 deaths

More than 100,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Poland since the start of the pandemic, the government announced on Tuesday. This country, where only some 63% of adults are fully immunized, has the sixth highest death rate in the world.

»SEE ALSO – Why 2022 could be the year of the end of the Covid

Bulgarian leaders in quarantine

Bulgarian President Roumen Radev, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and a dozen senior officials were placed in isolation on Tuesday after attending a meeting with the head of parliament, who tested positive.

Read alsoVaccination: in Ajaccio, injections 24 hours a day to make up for the delay

More than 5.49 million deaths worldwide

The pandemic has killed 5,494,101 worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP. In absolute terms, the United States is the most bereaved country with 839,500 dead, followed by Brazil (620,091), 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. However, the World Health Organization estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than that officially recorded.