Hospitalizations continue to drop slightly, borders reopen… coronavirus update


New measures, new reports and highlights: update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.

The situation in France…

The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 continues to drop slightly, including those in critical care, amid slowing circulation of the virus, according to official figures released on Tuesday evening. The total number of hospitalized patients reached 31.091 against 31,532 on Monday and 33,352 people last Tuesday. The number of new admissions (2,454) is on the other hand up compared to the previous day (2,215) but down compared to that of Tuesday of the previous week (3,060).

The critical care services, which receive the most serious cases, counted on Tuesday 3,235 Covid patients (including 291 admissions), against 3,296 the day before (311 admissions) and 3,555 the previous Tuesday. A figure that also continues to decline slowly.

Tuesday, 142,253 people tested positive in the last 24 hours, according to data published by Public Health France. This brings the average over the past seven days to 119,702 daily cases, compared to 211,716 the previous Tuesday. This calculation helps to smooth out the deviations observed from one day to the next, often artificially created by data collection problems. Deaths are down over 24 hours: 304 people died in hospital with a Covid diagnosis according to figures released Tuesday evening, compared to 388 on Monday.

Nearly 54.2 million people have now received at least one injection (80.3% of the total population) and 53 million are fully vaccinated (78.7% of the population). 38 million people received a booster dose.

To read :Overwhelmed hospitals, deprogrammed operations, children in danger

From Tuesday, to keep a valid vaccination pass, the booster dose of vaccines against Covid-19 must be carried out no later than four months after the end of the initial vaccination schedule, except for those who have contracted the disease since then. According to new estimates released Tuesday by the Ministry of Health, “less than 4 million people are likely to lose their health pass” for lack of a reminder or infection.

From Wednesday, dancing in a disco, having a drink at the bar or attending a standing concert will again be allowed in France. While Belgium will wait Friday and Germany until March 4 to reopen clubs and nightclubs, France, which hopes to approach the end of the fifth wave after the surge linked to the Omicron variant, will allow these establishments closed since the 10 December to welcome the public again.

Reopening of borders

The Philippines is now at “low risk” in terms of the Covid-19 epidemic due to a rise in vaccination rates and a drop in the number of hospitalizations, according to the president’s spokesman Rodrigo Duterte. The archipelago reopened its borders to foreign tourists last week, after two years of closure.

Papua New Guinea will also reopen its borders to vaccinated travelers from Wednesday, following two years of isolation of the Melanesian nation from its neighbours. Canada also announced on Tuesday the easing of health restrictions at its borders, including the end of the requirement for a PCR test to enter the country. Ottawa also lifted its recommendation to avoid foreign travel.

The balance sheet in the world

The pandemic has officially made more than 5,823,938 dead worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP on Tuesday at 11 a.m. GMT. In absolute value, the United States is the country with the most deaths (922,473), ahead of Brazil (638,835) and India (509,358).

Reported to the population, the countries where the epidemic has caused the most damage are Peru, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Hungary and North Macedonia. The WHO 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 established.

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