Paris (AFP)

New assessments, new measures, highlights: an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic.

- WHO: turnaround on hydroxychloroquine -

After analyzing "available data on mortality", the members of the Safety and Monitoring Committee considered "that there is no reason to modify the protocol" of clinical trials, said the World Health Organization .

In addition, researchers have reported that this drug is a priori ineffective in preventing Covid-19, after a clinical trial in the United States and Canada.

- Italian borders reopened to Europeans

In the hope of saving its crucial tourism industry, Italy reopened its borders to European travelers on Wednesday, without restrictions.

The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs asked Wednesday "reciprocity" to his European partners on the reopening of the borders, while Austria and Switzerland keep their Italian border closed.

- Flexibilities -

Berlin announced the lifting on June 15 of its warnings on tourist travel in Europe. The "warnings" will be replaced by "recommendations" to travelers by country.

The Dutch government will also soften the warnings on tourist trips for several European countries from June 15.

Belgium has announced that it will reopen its borders with the other countries of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the four non-EU Schengen countries from 15 June. Cafes, bars and restaurants should reopen, under strict conditions, from June 8.

Quito, the capital of Ecuador, very affected by the new coronavirus, started on Wednesday to break the confinement decreed eleven weeks ago, with a curfew reduced to eight hours a day.

- Bahia curfew -

A curfew was imposed from Wednesday in twenty locations in the state of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil, to try to contain the rampant expansion of the pandemic.

- Chinese flights under American control -

The US administration will temporarily ban flights from Chinese airlines to and from the United States, because Beijing has still not authorized American carriers to resume operations in China despite the deconfinement.

- Over 382,000 deaths

The pandemic of the new coronavirus has killed at least 382,016 people worldwide since its appearance in December in China, according to a report established by AFP from official sources Wednesday at 19:00 GMT.

More than 6,440,940 cases of infection have been officially diagnosed in 196 countries and territories since the start of the epidemic.

The United States has recorded more than 107,000 deaths. Then come the United Kingdom with 39,728 dead, Italy with 33,601 dead, Brazil with 32,548 dead and France with 29,021 dead.

The number of coronavirus deaths in 24 hours doubled Wednesday in Mexico, crossing the threshold of 1,000 for the first time.

- "Alliance" for a vaccine -

France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have agreed to form an "alliance" aimed at ensuring the production of a potential vaccine against Covid-19 in Europe, announced the Dutch authorities.

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who is hosting a virtual summit to raise funds for the Vaccine Alliance on Thursday, has called for a "new era of global cooperation" in health.

- Germany takes out the checkbook -

Germany, severely weakened by the health crisis, announced on Wednesday a gigantic package of 130 billion euros over two years to stimulate its economy.

- France badly prepared -

Stocks of "insufficient" masks, situation "strained in the hospital" before the crisis or regional health agencies "too centralized": the coronavirus epidemic has "revealed weaknesses" in France, underlines the report of a mission of parliamentary information of the National Assembly.

- Soccer resumes in Portugal -

After Germany on May 16, Portugal on Wednesday became the second major football championship to resume in Europe, after three months of stoppage.

© 2020 AFP