Update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic in France and around the world.
The situation in France
The number of people hospitalized with a diagnosis of Covid-19 increased further on Monday, rising above 24,000 for the first time since early March, according to figures released by health authorities. With 2,099 new admissions, hospitals now welcome 24,205 Covid patients, compared to 22,835 a week earlier and 20,532 on March 26. The trend is also still on the rise in critical care services, with 171 new admissions and a total of 1,589 patients treated in “sheaves”. They were 1,562 on Sunday, and 1,523 a week ago.
On the contamination side, the daily average over seven days, which smooths out statistical jolts, stood at 135,338 on Monday, against 130,014 the day before. It was 138,067 cases a week earlier. Since the start of the epidemic, more than two years ago, 143,466 people have been killed by the virus in France. The SARS-Cov2 virus is still circulating in a “sustained” way despite the shift in the curve of counted contaminations, Public Health France observed on Friday, unable to affirm “to date” that the peak of the epidemic rebound has passed. The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, announced Thursday that the second booster dose of the vaccine against Covid-19, hitherto reserved for people aged 80 and over, would be open to people aged 60 and over whose last injection dates back more than six months.
Shanghai under tension
The United States has ordered non-essential employees of its consulate in Shanghai to leave the city, against the backdrop of an epidemic outbreak and strict containment measures in the metropolis, the American embassy said on Tuesday. China’s economic capital is facing its biggest surge in cases since the start of the pandemic. Authorities have locked down almost all of the 25 million residents and are placing those who test positive in quarantine centres.
It is in this context that the US State Department has “ordered the departure (of its staff) due to the ongoing Covid-19 epidemic”, said a spokesperson for the US Embassy. United in a statement. The American diplomats also informed the Chinese authorities “of their concerns regarding the safety and well-being of American citizens”, specifies the text. China is one of the last countries in the world to apply a strict zero Covid strategy.
It consists of several measures: confinements as soon as a few cases appear, separation of people who test positive from the rest of the population, visas issued drop by drop, quarantine on arrival in the territory or even tracing of movements. China’s health ministry reported more than 23,000 new positive cases in Shanghai on Tuesday. Almost all of its 25 million inhabitants are still confined to their homes, with some having difficulty recovering food. Many of those who tested positive were also placed in solitary confinement in large quarantine centers set up in exhibition halls or prefabricated structures. Last week, the US Embassy had already indicated that it was “allowing” non-essential consulate employees to leave Shanghai. She also felt that American citizens risked facing an “arbitrary application” of anti-Covid restrictions.