(Paris) New measures, new reports and highlights: an update on the latest developments in the COVID-19 pandemic around the world.
Omicron expands around the world
The Omicron variant is now largely in the majority in the United States (73% of new infections), where President Joe Biden is due to deliver a speech on Tuesday, while in Germany, the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz will announce restrictions, especially for the New Year. , without confinement on the agenda.
The Biden administration does not plan to confine the United States either, but the authorities will distribute 500 million tests free of charge, mobilize military medical personnel if necessary and increase the vaccination capacity, according to the White House.
The United States will also give more than half a billion dollars in additional aid to international organizations to fight COVID-19.
France does not rule out going “beyond” the restrictive measures in force in the event of a “very strong resumption of the epidemic linked to the Omicron variant”, in particular by establishing a health passport in the workplace, but for the she focuses above all on vaccination.
Israel bans travel to the United States
Israel has added the United States and several other countries to its red list of countries to which travel is prohibited, in an effort to combat the spread of the Omicron variant. Among the countries added to the list are also Canada, Germany and Belgium.
China: an entire city tested
The large Chinese city of Xi’an (north), known for its army buried in terracotta, began screening all of its 13 million inhabitants on Tuesday after the detection of around 40 cases of COVID-19.
The country has virtually eradicated the epidemic on its soil since the spring of 2020, but continues to regularly face small sporadic outbreaks, usually contained within a few weeks by screening and strict restriction measures.
Peru: limited access to Parliament
The Peruvian Congress has announced that only deputies and employees who have received at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be able to access the headquarters in order to limit infections.
In Peru, where 74% of the population of 33 million people are vaccinated with two doses, the death rate from the pandemic is the highest in the world, with 6,122 deaths per million inhabitants, according to a report by the ‘AFP based on official figures.
Family gatherings and end-of-year celebrations are prohibited and the vaccination campaign is intensified.
Postponement of the vaccination obligation in New Caledonia
The Congress of New Caledonia postponed until February 28, 2022 the obligation to be vaccinated against COVID-19, under penalty of sanctions, for professionals in so-called sensitive sectors (health, transport, etc.) and people at risk.
The measure had been postponed for the first time from October 31 to December 31 for the French archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, but the sanction regime in the event of non-vaccination is still a problem.
More than 5.35 million dead
The pandemic has killed at least 5.35 million people worldwide since the WHO office in China reported the onset of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to a report compiled by AFP from official sources Tuesday at 6 a.m.
In absolute terms, the countries that have recorded the most deaths since January 2020 are the United States with 807,952 deaths, Brazil (617,873), India (478,007) and Russia (299,249). Reported to the population, the countries where the epidemic has wreaked the most havoc are Peru, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Hungary.
The Europe region is the one which currently records the most deaths, followed by the USA / Canada zone.
The World Health Organization (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 recorded.