Paris (AFP)

New assessments, new measures, highlights: an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic, which has already killed more than 46,000 people worldwide.

- "Fast climbing" -

The World Health Organization (WHO) has alerted to the "quasi-exponential" progression of the pandemic.

"I am deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of infections. The number of deaths has more than doubled in the past week. In the coming days, we will reach 1 million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths," said said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

- Worst global crisis since 1945 -

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the earth was experiencing its "worst global crisis since the UN was founded" 75 years ago, citing "the combination of a threatening disease for everyone and d 'an economic impact leading to an unprecedented recession in the recent past ".

- Risk of "food shortage" -

Leaders of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) have warned of a risk of global food crisis.

"Uncertainties about the availability of food can trigger a wave of export restrictions", itself causing "a shortage on the world market".

- Containments -

Over 3.75 billion people, or 48% of the world's population, are called or forced by their authorities to stay at home.

Germany will extend its restriction measures until at least April 19. Portugal has decided to extend the confinement for two weeks.

In the United States, Florida has ordered general confinement.

In France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe explained that it was "likely" that the deconfinement of the population would take place in stages.

In the Netherlands, where there is no compulsory confinement, the authorities extended the closure measures imposed on schools, restaurants and bars until April 28.

The US National Parks Service has decided to immediately close the Grand Canyon, Arizona's top tourist destination visited by millions of tourists each year.

- Threat of measles -

The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), which brings together the WHO, the World Bank and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, is concerned that containment measures, which limit routine vaccinations, could cause other dangerous epidemics such as measles.

- Over 900,000 cases -

At least 905,589 cases of infection, including 45,719 deaths, were detected in 187 countries and territories, according to a count made by AFP from official sources Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. GMT.

Italy has 13,155 dead, Spain 9,053, and France 4,032. China, the cradle of the pandemic, has 81,554 cases, of which 3,312 have died.

In the United States (215,417 cases, including more than 5,000 deaths), the death of a six-week-old baby contaminated with coronavirus was announced on Wednesday.

Brazil has identified a first case in an Amerindian community: a young woman of the Kokama ethnic group, aged 20, living near the border with Colombia. She is a healthcare professional.

Niger has reported its first two cases outside the capital Niamey. He has a total of 74 and five dead.

- Tests, equipment -

The scientific team of the European Commission has developed a device for monitoring coronavirus screening tests. The new material aims to "ensure that laboratory tests for the presence of the coronavirus work well".

The tobacco company British American Tobacco has announced that one of its subsidiaries is working on a potential vaccine using a tobacco leaf method. The vaccine is in the pre-clinical testing phase and has therefore not been tested on humans or obtained the approval of health authorities.

- Cancellations, postponements -

The Wimbledon tennis tournament, scheduled for June 29 to July 12, has been canceled, as has the Edinburgh Festival, the world's largest live performance event scheduled for August.

The COP26 international climate conference scheduled for Glasgow in November has been postponed indefinitely in 2021.

- "Observatory 19" -

Reporters Without Borders launched "Observatory 19" for press freedom to regularly measure "the impact of the pandemic on journalism", documenting "state censorship, deliberate disinformation and their effects on the right to information reliable".

- Evacuation -

According to US President Donald Trump, Canadian and British passengers on the liner Zaandam, which is carrying four dead people and people with symptoms of coronavirus, will soon be evacuated.

- Help -

The International Monetary Fund is providing Senegal with $ 221 million in emergency aid to cope with the economic impact of the pandemic.

The wage subsidies that Canada plans to pay companies to avoid many layoffs will cost C $ 71 billion (€ 45 billion).

A humanitarian aid plane sent by Russia to help the United States cope with the coronavirus epidemic landed in New York on Wednesday afternoon.

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© 2020 AFP