Europe
European countries, where a strong rebound in the Covid-19 epidemic is expected in the coming weeks, are trying to contain its spread, with the tightening of access conditions in France and the United Kingdom.
If it hopes that the recent tightening of health measures in certain Member States will bear fruit in the face of the virulent Delta variant, the European Union can at least rejoice on one point: that of having overtaken the United States for the population rate who have received at least one dose of vaccine.
Long behind on vaccination, « the EU has today vaccinated a larger proportion of its population in the first dose than the United States (55.5% / 55.4%) », affirmed the secretary of French State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, on Twitter. « We continue, we accelerate! », He added.
The European vaccine strategy, which had started more slowly than in the United Kingdom and the United States due to a lack of sufficient supplies, was the subject of criticism at the start of the year. The European Commission, which coordinated vaccine orders for the 27 member states, had been targeted.
Greece: curfew in Mykonos
Greece imposed a five-hour curfew and other restrictions on the tourist island of Mykonos, known for its festive nights, on Saturday due to a « worrying » rise in infections.
Events in France
France imposed Covid-19 tests of less than 24 hours from midnight Saturday on unvaccinated travelers from the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece and the Netherlands. Until now tests of 72 hours were accepted, except for those coming from the United Kingdom who had to present a test of less than 48 hours.
France has also extended its list of « red » countries to new countries: Tunisia, Mozambique, Cuba and Indonesia.
Wearing a mask outdoors will also make a comeback in certain regions of the East and South-West of the country.
The tightening of health measures announced Monday by President Emmanuel Macron – extension of the health pass in particular to shops, restaurants, places of culture, planes or trains as well as the obligation to vaccinate for certain professions – aroused the anger of part of the population.
Several processions marched on Saturday in Paris and in several large cities to denounce the health « dictatorship » imposed, according to them, by Mr. Macron and measures which they consider to be draconian. However, the latter are accepted by a very large majority of French people, according to a survey.
Worried about the « persistent presence » in France of the Beta variant, identified for the first time in South Africa, the British government has decided to subject those who come to quarantine, even if they are vaccinated.
Objective 70% vaccinated in Spain
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his part promised on Saturday that half the population would be fully vaccinated by next week and reiterated his goal of reaching 70% by the end of the summer.
The day after the imposition of a night curfew in Catalonia, it is the turn of the Greek island of Mykonos, symbol of festive nights, to reestablish certain restrictions, including a curfew between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
« Very confusing message » in the UK
British Health Minister Sajid Javid announced on Saturday that he had tested positive for Covid-19, two days before the lifting of almost all restrictions in England, a deconfinement which worries due to the outbreak of cases linked to the Delta variant.
« We remove all the barrier measures on July 19 and, on the other hand, we quarantine the English or doubly vaccinated residents who return from France », is surprised Dr Maud Lemoine, consultant in hepatology at St Mary’s Hospital in London. , judging that this sends a « very confusing message to people ».
The Delta variant makes governments fear a new runaway epidemic which has already killed four million people worldwide and which could force a new turn of the screw at the start of the school year.
The European disease agency predicts a strong rebound in the number of Covid cases in the coming weeks, with almost five times as many new cases by August 1. The number of hospitalizations and deaths should however increase less rapidly, according to the ECDC, thanks to vaccines.
More than 1,000 contaminations in Israel
For the first time in four months, Israel has again recorded more than 1,000 daily coronavirus infections, according to figures released Saturday by the Ministry of Health. In the past 24 hours, 1,118 new infections have indeed been recorded. This is the highest figure since mid-March. In comparison, at the height of the pandemic, in January, more than 10,000 positive cases were recorded daily in Israel.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the more contagious Delta variant was behind the rise in numbers. “The vaccines are proving to be less effective against the Delta variant than we hoped,” he analyzed. From Wednesday, restrictions will therefore be introduced again at events bringing together more than 100 people. Only people who have been vaccinated, experienced an infection, or who may have a negative test result will be permitted to participate in these events. In addition, mouth masks will once again become mandatory indoors.
In Israel, 62% of the population has received at least a first injection of the Covid vaccine. About 56% were fully vaccinated.
America
Eradicating smallpox would have been impossible with current misinformation, says Dr Fauci
Eradicating diseases like smallpox would have been impossible with the misinformation about vaccines currently spreading in the United States, White House anti-Covid adviser Anthony Fauci said on Saturday.
« We would probably still have smallpox, and we would probably still have polio in this country, if we had the kind of misinformation that is prevalent now, » he said.
Los Angeles sheriff won’t enforce mask requirement
The Los Angeles County Sheriff on Saturday criticized the decision of local authorities to reintroduce the obligation to wear a mask indoors, including for people who have been vaccinated, and warned that he would not enforce it.
Peru: almost half of the police force have contracted the Covid
The national police is the institution most affected by Covid-19 in Peru, with 787 deaths and more than 50,600 contaminations, or nearly 50% of its workforce affected, Interior Minister José Elice said on Saturday, who deplores a « dramatic » situation.
Uruguay: appearance of the Delta variant
The first cases of the highly contagious Delta variant were reported in Uruguay on Saturday, authorities said.
Africa
Upsurge in Africa
“Africa has just experienced the most disastrous week in the history of pandemics on the continent. But the worst is yet to come as the third wave continues to expand,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director of the World Health Organization for Africa.
However, the WHO notes progress in the distribution of vaccines. More than 1.6 million doses have been deployed in Africa through the COVAX mechanism. In addition, more than 20 million doses of Johnson and Johnson/Janssen and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are expected very soon.
Tunisia: « collapsed » health system
The health situation is « catastrophic » in Tunisia, which has recorded a record number of contaminations in recent weeks, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday, referring to the « collapse » of the health system.
Senegal suspends bus travel ahead of Eid
The national bus company in Senegal announced on Saturday to interrupt its inter-city connections, citing « alarming information » on the resurgence of cases of contamination. This decision comes a few days before Tabaski, the Eid holiday, which usually leads to large population movements across the country.
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