LIVE - Coronavirus: WHO does not see generalized vaccination before mid-2021

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This is a record since the start of the coronavirus epidemic.

Nearly 9,000 new cases have been identified in 24 hours in France, according to the latest report from the health authorities.

Globally, the vaccine race continues, and the WHO has warned that it will not endorse a vaccine that is not safe and effective.

According to a study by

, the Russian project is showing encouraging results.

Follow the evolution of the situation live.  

The main information to remember

• In France, nearly 9,000 new cases have been identified in 24 hours

• Russian vaccine project shows encouraging results, Lancet study finds

• The epidemic has killed nearly 870,000 people worldwide

In France, nearly 9,000 new cases

According to the latest data published Friday by the Directorate General of Health, the number of new cases of Covid-19 detected in 24 hours in France has climbed to nearly 9,000.

This represents a new record since the start of the epidemic.

8,975 positive cases have been confirmed since Thursday, an indicator up sharply from the previous two days when there were just over 7,000 new cases in 24 hours. 

On the other hand, the total death toll has fallen, due to data corrections relating to social and medico-social establishments including nursing homes: 30,686 people have died in France since the start of the epidemic, or 20 of less than the total balance communicated Thursday.

473 Covid-19 patients are hospitalized in intensive care (including 46 in the last 24 hours), or 9 more than the balance of the day before. 

Ligue 1 and Ligue 2: the reduced medical protocol

The Professional Football League (LFP) announced on Friday that it had lightened the medical protocol in L1 and L2 "in connection with the public authorities", allowing matches as long as 20 out of 30 players test negative.

Until then matches could be postponed from four cases over eight rolling days in the professional group.

"This new protocol applies from" Friday, affirms the LFP, asking "the clubs of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 their list of 30 players".

WHO does not see widespread vaccination before mid-2021

The World Health Organization "will not endorse" a vaccine against the coronavirus if it is not safe and effective, assured its director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, when asked about the concerns raised by the anti-vaccine movement.

The institution has also announced that it does not expect a generalized vaccination before mid-2021.

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"A considerable number of applicants have now entered Phase 3 of the trials. We know of at least 6 to 9 who have already come a long way in terms of research," said WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris , during a press point in Geneva.

"But in terms of a realistic schedule, we really don't expect to see widespread vaccination until the middle of next year," she added, as preparations for vaccine distribution accelerate. , especially in the United States.

Encouraging results for the Russian vaccine

In Russia, where the authorities announced nearly a month ago the entry of their vaccine candidate into the third and final phase of clinical trials, research continues.

And researchers in the country have published a first study which shows that their vaccine, Sputnik V, gives encouraging preliminary results.

It triggers an immune response and did not cause serious adverse effects, concludes the article, published by the prestigious British journal The Lancet, after evaluation by a committee of independent scientists.

These results do not yet prove that the vaccine effectively protects against infection by the coronavirus, which will have to be shown by larger studies, however, experts point out.

Nearly 870,000 dead worldwide

The pandemic has killed at least 869,718 people around the world since the end of December, according to a report established by AFP from official sources Friday in the middle of the day.

The United States is the most affected country in terms of deaths, with 187,696 dead.

Brazil (125,502 dead), India (68,472), Mexico (66,329) and the United Kingdom (41,527) follow.

Among the hardest hit countries, Peru is the one that deplores the highest number of deaths in relation to its population, with 89 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Belgium (85), Spain (63), the Kingdom United (61), and Chile (60).