LIVE
After several months of the coronavirus pandemic, the health crisis is shaking entire sections of the world economy. The United States, officially entering a recession, but also Germany, notably experienced a historic drop in their GDP in the second quarter. In France, the circulation of the virus remains strong, and several cities require the wearing of masks outdoors. For its part, Mexico becomes the third most bereaved country in the world, with 46,000 dead. Follow the evolution of the situation live.
The main information to remember
- In France, the number of patients in intensive care is no longer decreasing
- Wearing a mask is made compulsory in several cities
- The global economy is hit hard by the crisis
- Mexico becomes the third most bereaved country
In France, the number of resuscitations is no longer decreasing
The number of patients with Covid-19 hospitalized in intensive care, in continuous decline since the beginning of April, has increased very slightly (+1) over the last 24 hours, announced Thursday the Directorate General of Health (DGS) which emphasizes that the number of new daily cases is more than 1,000. Some 5,375 people are hospitalized for a coronavirus infection, including 381 severe cases in intensive care, one more than the day before, said the DGS in a press release, without further details. This is the first time since April 9 that this closely watched indicator is no longer falling.
The epidemic has caused 16 new deaths in hospitals in 24 hours. At least 30,254 people have died since the start of the epidemic, including 19,739 in hospitals and 10,515 in social and medical-social establishments (Ehpad). The death toll in these establishments will be updated on Tuesday, August 4.
The circulation of the virus remains "sustained with an increasing number of daily cases and greater than 1,000", insists the DGS.
Wearing a mask made compulsory in several cities
Wearing a mask will be compulsory next week in the city center of Bayonne and Biarritz, a city whose beaches will be prohibited at night to limit festive meetings, authorities announced Thursday. In Biarritz, this will include the hyper-touristy area of the Hôtel du Palais and the beach of Port-Vieux. In addition, from Tuesday, the beaches of Biarritz will be closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
>> PODCAST - Coronavirus: find all the answers to your questions here
The town hall also does not refrain from closing the beach occasionally during the day, in the event of high tide which would limit the space on the sand and would lead to too high a density of bathers. For its part, the town hall of Saint-Malo issued a decree making it compulsory, until August 30, to wear a mask in the inner city and on the ramparts. For its part, the government would consider making the mask compulsory in the North, bordering Belgium.
Young children could be extremely contagious
An American study published Thursday, published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, goes against the current discourse. The level of genetic material of the coronavirus detected in the noses of children under five is believed to be 10 to 100 times higher than that found in older children and adults. Very young children could therefore be major propagators of the virus in the population. These results do not support the health authorities who believe that young children do not transmit the virus much, especially since it has been established that they are less likely to contract a severe form of the disease. Children between 10 and 19 transmit the virus as much as adults in a household, according to a study in South Korea, but children under nine transmit it less.
Global economy hit hard by pandemic
In the United States, containment led to a historic drop in gross domestic product in the second quarter, by 32.9% at an annualized rate. Compared to the second quarter of 2019, the decrease is 9.5%. With this second consecutive quarterly drop, the world's largest economy officially entered recession. In the first quarter, the US GDP had fallen by 5%.
CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS
> Coronavirus: three questions on rapid serological tests in pharmacies
> Holidays: should grandparents worry about looking after their grandchildren?
> Coronavirus: in schools, the health protocol will remain the same at the start of the school year
> Coronavirus: the 5 mistakes not to make with your mask
> Coronavirus: what we know about transmission by micro-droplets in the air
Germany, the economic engine of Europe, also announced Thursday a "historic plunge" of 10.1% of its GDP in the second quarter. The country is thus experiencing its worst recession since the post-war period: the contraction of its GDP is much greater than the 4.9% that it experienced at the height of the financial crisis of 2009. From April to June, GDP also fell sharply in Belgium by 12.2%, in Austria by 10.7%, and in Mexico by 17.3%.
Oil companies, aircraft manufacturers, car manufacturers are paying a heavy price for the crisis, with abysmal losses in the second quarter: $ 8.4 billion for Total and $ 18.1 billion for the Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, while Airbus recorded a net loss of 1.9 billion euros in the first half.
Mexico becomes third most bereaved country
The United States recorded 1,379 new deaths from the coronavirus in one day on Thursday, according to the Johns Hopkins University count. By far the most affected, the country deplores a total of 151,826 deaths linked to Covid-19. Behind the United States and Brazil (91,263 deaths), Mexico fell to third place among bereaved countries on Thursday, ahead of the United Kingdom with 46,000 deaths.
In total, the pandemic has killed at least 667,361 people around the world since the end of December, according to a report established by AFP from official sources Thursday at 11:00 GMT. Argentina has recorded new daily records of victims of the coronavirus with 153 deaths and 6,377 contaminations recorded over the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday.