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A "collective reaction". This is what Prime Minister Jean Castex wants, while the Covid-19 continues to circulate in France (30,371 dead since the start of the crisis) and that the hypothesis of a second wave worries more and more. To do this, events of more than 5,000 people will be banned at least until October 30 and the wearing of the compulsory mask will be extended. In the rest of the world, health authorities are getting organized: New Zealand has confined its largest city, Peru has reinstated a Sunday curfew and in some streets in Spain, smoking is now prohibited. Follow the evolution of the situation live.
The main information to remember:
- Unprecedented increase in the number of cases in France since May
- Vaccine race in full swing after Russia announces effective vaccine
- Smoking is now banned in some streets in Spain
- More than 745,000 dead worldwide
The epidemic (re) is gaining momentum in France, health measures will be tightened
More than 2,500 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in 24 hours in France, an unprecedented increase since May, according to the daily report of the Directorate General of Health (DGS) published Wednesday evening, which notes a "clear degradation "of indicators. "I say it with a form of gravity: if we do not react collectively, we expose ourselves to a high risk of epidemic resumption which will be difficult to control," Jean Castex warned earlier. The Prime Minister announced new measures to try to stem the circulation of the Covid-19. The ban on events of more than 5,000 people is, for example, extended until October 30 and prefects will be asked to approach local elected officials "to extend as much as possible the obligation to wear a mask in public spaces" .
The vaccine race is in full swing ...
Latin America, the region most affected in the world by the Covid-19 epidemic, has placed itself in the starting blocks to urgently produce the next vaccine, whether it comes from Russia or Europe. Argentina and Mexico will take charge of the production and distribution in Latin America, except Brazil, of the future vaccine against the coronavirus developed by the Anglo-Swedish laboratory AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, announced the Argentine president Alberto Fernandez in the night from Wednesday to Thursday. Mexico, the third most bereaved country in the world with 53,929 deaths, also announced that it has entered into new agreements with the American Janssen Pharmaceuticals and the Chinese CanSino Biologics and Walvax Biotechnology in order to participate in clinical trials from September with a view to 'a possible vaccine.
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... with all eyes on Russia
As Russia announced the development of an effective vaccine against Covid-19 on Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday it was impatiently waiting to be able to analyze the results of clinical trials. The final phase of testing of this product, in which more than 2,000 people in total will participate, was to start on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin said at the time. "The WHO is in contact with the scientists and the Russian authorities and looks forward to studying the details of the clinical trials," reads the press release issued in Geneva, where the organization is headquartered.
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UK in "record" recession
The UK economy suffered a "record" drop of 20.4% in the second quarter of its economy and, in the first six months of the year, its worst recession on record. The country signs the worst performance in the second quarter in Europe, ahead of Spain (-18.5%) and much worse than France (-13.8%). "I said before that hard times lie ahead, today's figures confirm it. Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and unfortunately in the months to come many more will do. the same, ”commented Finance Minister Rishi Sunak.
No smoking in certain streets in Spain
From Thursday, the Spanish province of Galicia will ban smoking in the streets and on café terraces if it is not possible to maintain a safety distance of at least two meters between people.
This measure, unprecedented in Spain, aims to try to curb the transmission of the new coronavirus. Wearing a mask cannot be ignored "in order to smoke cigarettes or electronic cigarettes (...) on public roads or in the open air, including terraces, unless it is possible to maintain a permanent minimum distance of two meters between people ", indicated Wednesday evening the official bulletin of this region of the North-West of the country.
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Return of curfew in Peru, towards an extension of confinement in Auckland
Peru, the third Latin American state most affected by the disease, announced on Wednesday the return of the Sunday curfew and banned family gatherings, which have become the main source of contagion of the coronavirus, whose daily number of new cases has reached a new record. Within 24 hours, 8,875 new cases were identified, according to the Ministry of Health. New Zealand is considering extending the three-day lockdown currently in effect in its largest city, Auckland, following the emergence of an outbreak of coronavirus contamination, a senior official said on Wednesday. The country hastily imposed a three-day lockdown in Auckland this week after contamination from an unknown source of four members of the same family.
More than 745,000 dead worldwide, 165,000 in the United States
In total, according to the latest report established by AFP on the night of Wednesday to Thursday GMT, the coronavirus epidemic has killed at least 745,783 people around the world and infected more than 20 million people since its appearance in December. The United States is the most affected country in terms of both deaths and cases, with 165,909 deaths for 5,191,689 cases, according to the Johns Hopkins University count. In Brazil, the second most affected country in the world with more than 104,000 deaths, Joao Doria, the governor of Sao Paulo, announced Wednesday to be positive for Covid-19 and to continue to carry out his duties in quarantine.