Beijing (AFP)

Experts from the World Health Organization are expected on Saturday in Beijing for an exploratory mission before the start of the investigation that WHO wants to conduct on the origin of the virus that appeared in China in late 2019.

The mission of these two experts, an epidemiologist and an animal health specialist, comes as the WHO on Friday called for vigilance in the face of the recent explosion of contamination worldwide. The Covid-19 pandemic has already killed more than 556,000 people and it continues to progress, particularly in the United States and Brazil, where the number of deaths on Friday exceeded 70,000.

Announcing Friday that WHO experts are on their way to China, the organization's spokesperson, Margaret Harris, said that they would hold talks with Chinese officials and determine the locations for the future mission. investigation should visit.

"One of the biggest questions is whether the virus has been transmitted to humans by an animal and which animal it is," said Harris.

- Respond quickly -

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that contamination worldwide has "more than doubled in the past six weeks".

"Only aggressive action combined with national unity and global solidarity can turn the tide," said Ghebreyesus. "There are many examples around the world that have shown that even if the epidemic is very intense, it can still be brought under control," he said.

The United States welcomed the announcement of the WHO investigation in China on Friday. "We consider this scientific investigation as a necessary step to have a complete and transparent understanding of how this virus has spread around the world," said the American ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Andrew Bremberg.

An unusually positive statement from the United States, which officially launched on Tuesday its procedure to withdraw from the WHO.

Washington has criticized the organization since the start of the crisis, accusing it of having been slow to react and above all of having been too complacent with China after the virus appeared.

President Donald Trump announced in May that he would "end the relationship" between the United States and the WHO, called "China's puppet".

The United States is the country most heavily affected by the virus. The epidemic has left 133,969 people dead, including 774 in the past 24 hours, according to data released Friday by Johns Hopkins University. And 63,643 additional contaminations were recorded in 24 hours.

Experts fear that the death curve will quickly follow the same path as that of new infections.

- More than 70,000 dead in Brazil -

The Covid-19 also continues to wreak havoc in Latin America, where it reaches some of its leaders.

In Bolivia, interim president Janine Añez, a candidate in the September presidential election, announced Thursday that she was infected. On Friday, it was the president of the Bolivian Congress, Eva Copa, second in the order of succession to the head of state, who declared that she was too.

In Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro announced on Friday the extension for one month of the state of emergency established to fight against the virus, the Minister of Oil Tareck El Aissami announced his contamination. Another close collaborator of Mr. Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, number two of the Chavista power, had done the same on Thursday.

In Brazil, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Tuesday that he was infected.

Brazil is the Latin American country most affected by the virus and the second worldwide. He crossed the 70,000 dead mark on Friday after recording an additional 1,214 deaths in the previous 24 hours. Contaminations amount to more than 1.8 million cases.

Bogota, the main source of the pandemic in Colombia, has raised its alert level to the spread of the virus and will strengthen the containment of the population. As of Monday, the Bolivian capital "goes on orange alert and the intensive care system on red alert," said Bogota mayor Claudia Lopez.

Colombia recorded 133,973 cases of contamination, including 4,714 deaths.

In countries where the pandemic appeared to be under control, resurgences were recorded.

In Australia, the five million inhabitants of Melbourne were placed in confinement for six weeks.

Hong Kong has announced the closure of all its schools from Monday due to an "exponential increase" in contamination.

New outbreaks have also appeared in Europe, the most bereaved continent with more than 200,000 deaths (for 2.8 million cases), where the situation however seems for the moment under control.

burx-plh / ybl

© 2020 AFP