Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic on Friday, April 17

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Since its emergence in China in December, the pandemic of new coronavirus has killed more than 150,000 people worldwide, including almost two thirds in Europe. With 34,575 deaths, the United States is the country with the highest number of deaths.

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• The “controllable” pandemic in Germany, record of healings in Italy

In Germany , the coronavirus infection rate fell for the first time this Friday to less than 1. This index measures the number of people on average infected by each patient. After a month of social restrictions, the epidemic is now "  under control  " , welcomes the government. He announced that the country will manufacture from August on its territory 50 million masks per week.

The Italy announced on Friday the healing of 2563 patients Covid-19 in one day, a record since the beginning of the pandemic in the country where it has officially killed nearly 23 000 people, including 575 in the last 24 hours. The country has nearly 107,000 patients registered in the peninsula, 355 more than the day before. In several regions, such as those of Turin, Naples or Rome, this figure is even falling. According to an assessment by the Higher Institute of Health (ISS), caregivers represent 10% of the total number of infected people in the country. Some 17,000 health professionals have been infected with the coronavirus, two thirds of them women.

The Belgium  has in turn to surpass the 5,000 deaths due to coronavirus, according to the latest official toll released by the Belgian health authorities. It is one of the European countries with the highest mortality. The 313 deaths recorded during the last 24 hours bring the balance to 5,163 deaths, in this country of some 11.5 million inhabitants. Half of these deaths (2,586) were recorded in retirement homes.

• In France, hospitalizations still falling

For the third consecutive day, the number of people hospitalized because of Covid-19 fell (-115) in France , as did the number of people in intensive care (-221). "  It's a slow but steady decline  ," said Director General of Health Jérôme Salomon during his daily press briefing. France has recorded 761 deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, for a total of 18,681. Among these victims are the singer Christophe , who died at the age of 74. A solitary poet and avant-garde musician, he enjoyed great popular success with two songs: Aline and Les Mots bleus .

During her hearing by the Defense Committee of the National Assembly, the Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly indicated that 1,081 sailors tested positive for Covid-19 on the French aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle and the carrier strike group supports him, out of a total of 2,300 people. Among them, "  545 sailors show symptoms  " and "  24 sailors are hospitalized  ", including one in intensive care. The sailors tested negative are in the fortnight, said Florence Parly. All the tests have not yet delivered their verdict. The origin of the contamination remains an enigma. The crew was not in contact with any external element since a stopover in Brest (West of France) from March 13 to 16.

Four days after the announcement of a gradual deconfinement after May 11, the Elysee Palace indicates that President Emmanuel Macron does not wish to " discriminate "  against  the elderly in the context of this deconfinement and "  will call for individual responsibility  " . This development comes after statements by Professor Jean-François Delfraissy who said Wednesday before the Senate that confinement would be maintained "  for people of a certain age, 65 or 70 years  ".

• In the UK, a task force against the pandemic

While the UK has nearly 15,000 deaths from the new coronavirus, the British government announced Friday to accelerate efforts to develop and mass produce a future vaccine as soon as possible. The executive says it has set up a "  task force  " to "  coordinate the efforts  " of government, research and industry. The government wants to speed up the construction of a site to mass produce a vaccine "as  soon as it is ready,  " said Business Minister Alok Sharma at a press conference, explaining that it is impossible to give a deadline. Among the hundreds of teams in the world launched in the race for such a vaccine are the Imperial College of London and the Jenner Institute of the University of Oxford. The epidemic has killed 847 more people in 24 hours in hospitals in the UK, bringing the total to 14,576 deaths.

A British man almost a hundred years old has become a hero after having collected more than 18 million pounds for carers by setting himself up as a challenge to walk 100 lengths (25 m) of his garden using his walker. The amount raised this Friday reached 18 million pounds (20 million euros).

• Donald Trump calls for restart of the US economy

While the United States broke a new death record on Thursday with 4,591 dead in 24 hours, Donald Trump calls for a rapid economic recovery . For the American president, "  healthy  " states can restart "  literally tomorrow  ". He evokes Montana, Wyoming or North Dakota, relatively spared compared to New York or New Jersey, who "  live in hell  ". Several demonstrations against containment took place this week in the country. This was the case especially Thursday in front of the Capitol of Richmond, seat of the government of the State of Virginia, and the day before in Lansing, the capital of the State of Michigan where 3,000 people defied the containment decree issued by the governor democrat. New York State remains the most contaminated in the country, although the stabilization of deaths is confirmed and hospitalizations are fewer.

In Brazil , the day after the dismissal of the Minister of Health Luiz Henrique Mandetta, his successor Nelson Teich indicates that he will not take a "  sudden decision  " regarding a possible lifting of the containment measures demanded by President Jai Bolsonaro. Luis Henrique Mandetta advocated containment while President Bolsonaro is against it. The epidemic is gaining ground, with nearly 2,000 deaths.

• An upward balance sheet in China

China denies any concealment on the number of victims of the coronavirus, but revises its figures on the rise , after the accusations of Western leaders. The death toll is increasing by almost 40%. Wuhan City reports 1,290 deaths and 325 additional cases of infection, bringing the number of deaths to 3,869 and the number of infections to 50,333. In the South China Morning Pos t, a British scientific study explains that the epidemic could have started in September and not necessarily in Wuhan, but in the south of China.

The Japan announced the payment of aid of 100 000 yen (857 euros) to each resident, Japanese or foreign, to help keep the economy afloat during the pandemic. Announcement made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The measure is part of the government's economic recovery plan of more than 900 billion euros.

• Iran death toll continues to decline

The Iran announced Friday it recorded 89 additional deaths in new coronavirus 24 hours a balance less than 100 deaths for the fourth consecutive day in the most affected countries in the Middle East. It is the sixth consecutive day of declining deaths in Iran. This brings the total number of people who died from Covid-19 disease to 4,958, health ministry spokesperson Kianouche Jahanpour said in his daily press briefing. According to him, 1,499 new cases have been detected in the last 24 hours, bringing to 79,494 the total number of infected people out of 319,879 tested. Among the cases that were hospitalized, 54,064 people are cured and 3,563 are in critical condition, he added.

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