Epidemic update in the world

New Measures, New Reports, and Highlights: An update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.

– New York State raises indoor mask requirements –

As of Thursday, the state’s governor announced the obligation to wear a mask indoors, particularly in stores, restaurants and businesses, at a time when the number of Covid-19 infections in the USA has decreased.

– The thirteenth day of the ban in Canada –

On the 13th day of protest in Canada, concerns mounted about the economic impact of the truck drivers’ movement not weakening despite the first announcements of easing health restrictions in certain parts of the country.

Besides the federal capital, Ottawa, protesters also want to paralyze some key trade routes. The closure of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Ontario and Detroit, in the United States, since Monday, has added to the tension.

– New Zealand: Anti-vaccine protesters arrested –

Clashes erupted Thursday near the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington between police and anti-vaccine protesters against COVID-19, who have gathered for three days and more than fifty have been arrested.

The police, who intervened to disperse this gathering and especially to dismantle the improvised camp erected near Parliament, were met with “shame on you” or “abandonment of commitment”.

– France: a possible end to the passage of vaccination –

French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday that the French government hopes to be able to raise the vaccination card “at the end of March and beginning of April due to the improvement in the health situation.”

Thousands of vaccine-authorization opponents announced on social media that they wanted to “drive in Paris” on Saturday in a framework called “Freedom Caravans,” inspired by Canadian truck drivers.

– WHO asks for money from rich countries –

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged wealthy countries to urgently pay the $16 billion that is still missing to fund its plan to combat Covid-19.

– South Korea: a new strategy against Omicron –

South Korea has announced that it is abandoning its health policy of “tracing, testing and treating” as a sudden rise in Omicron cases threatens to flood the country’s health system, with more than a million infections in the country. Weekend course.

A new set of measures will take effect gradually from this month and will refocus resources on the most vulnerable.

– Positives –

The Royal Palace announced that Queen Margrethe II of Denmark had mild symptoms.

The royal house announced that Spain’s 54-year-old King Felipe VI had Covid-19 and had “mild symptoms”, adding that the king had been suspending his “official activities” for seven days.

Conservative Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa also announced that the tests had come back positive.

– Indonesia tests its own vaccine –

Indonesia, which is facing a wave of pollution, has started testing its own vaccine against the Covid virus in humans after getting the green light from the National Health Agency, the health minister announced.

– Possible treatment in France –

French contractor Cenexi has announced that it has reached an agreement with American biotech Humanigen to produce in France Lenzilumab, a potential treatment under study against Covid-19, which is in the process of registering with European and French health authorities.

– More than 5.7 million dead –

The pandemic has officially killed more than 5,761,646 people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report by AFP on Wednesday at 11:00 GMT, while the 400 million registered cases must be crossed soon.

The United States is the country with the most deaths (912,077), ahead of Brazil (635,074), India (505,279) and Russia (337,390).

The World Health Organization estimates, taking into account the increase in deaths directly and indirectly related to Covid-19, that the overall assessment of the epidemic could be two to three times higher than that established from official national figures.

burs-dth / roc