Paris (AFP)

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

- "Maybe never a panacea" -

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that there may never be a "panacea" for the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the ongoing vaccine race.

- More than 689,000 dead -

The pandemic has killed at least 689,758 people around the world since the end of December, according to a report established by AFP on Monday at 11:00 GMT. More than 18 million cases have been officially recorded, of which at least 10.5 million have been cured.

The United States is the most bereaved country (154,860 deaths). Next come Brazil (94,104 dead), Mexico (47,746), the United Kingdom (46,201) and India (38,135).

But as a proportion of the population, outside micro-states, it is in Belgium that mortality is highest (849 deaths per million inhabitants), ahead of the United Kingdom (681), Spain (608), Italy (581), Peru (595), Sweden (569) and Chile (503).

- Restrictions in Melbourne and Manila -

Non-essential businesses will close from midnight Wednesday in Melbourne, Australia's second city already reconfigured since early July and under curfew since Sunday. Hundreds of cases continue to be detected every day in the city and its surroundings.

In the Philippines, more than 27 million people, or about a quarter of the population, will be reconfigured as of Tuesday. This concerns the capital Manila and four surrounding provinces on the main island of Luzon.

In France, it is to avoid the scenario of a "total reconfinement" that Prime Minister Jean Castex called on his fellow citizens to "not lower their guard" in the face of a resurgence of Covid-19. "The virus is not on vacation," he recalled.

- New losses -

Corporate results continue to fall, with strong losses recorded by Societe Generale (one billion euros in the second quarter), by Japan Airlines (752 million) and its compatriot Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (464 million). British banking giant HSBC announced a 77% drop in profit in the first half.

- Russian vaccine in 2020 -

Russia assures that it will soon be able to produce hundreds of thousands of doses of vaccine per month and "several million" from the start of 2021. According to the government, three biomedical companies will be able to produce from September and in such a way industrial a vaccine developed by the Nikolaï Gamaleïa research laboratory.

But so far, Russia has not published a detailed study of the results of its trials to establish the effectiveness of the products it says it has developed.

- Re-entry partially masked -

The 150,000 or so pupils from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a region in north-eastern Germany, have returned to school with the obligation to respect certain health rules.

For example, in a school in Rostock, the wearing of a mask is compulsory in the corridors and the pupils are grouped by age groups so that the 6th-5th no longer cross the 4th-3rd, in particular thanks to a shift in hours. courses.

- Confined cruise -

A passenger tested positive on the Paul Gauguin, a cruise liner from the Ponant company that crisscrosses French Polynesia, forcing the ship to return to Papeete with its 148 passengers and 192 crew members confined on board.

The passengers, who were all tested on Sunday, are instructed not to leave their cabin, where their meals are delivered.

burs-jah / mw / jhd

© 2020 AFP