Paris (AFP)

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

- Italy "red" for the holidays -

The Italian Prime Minister announced a graduated containment plan from December 21 to January 6, in order to reduce travel and gatherings during the holidays.

All of Italy will be classified "red", the strictest level of containment, for the Christmas and New Year celebrations, but Italians will have the right to leave their homes to participate in a family meal with limited covers , ruled on a decree published on Saturday.

- Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine authorized in Switzerland -

The use of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech laboratories has been authorized in Switzerland, the national health regulatory authority announced on Saturday, believing that it "is safe and that its benefits outweigh the risks" .

Switzerland, which has 8.6 million inhabitants, has secured access to 15.8 million doses, negotiated with three different laboratories: 3 million with Pfizer-BioNTech, 7.5 million with Moderna and 5, 3 million doses with AstraZeneca.

Two doses per patient are required for all three vaccines.

- Green light for Moderna in the United States -

The United States on Friday granted an emergency authorization to the vaccine of the company Moderna against Covid-19, announced the United States Medicines Agency (FDA).

- Turkey: fire in a hospital -

A fire broke out in a hospital in Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey on Saturday, killing nine.

The fire occurred in the intensive care unit dedicated to patients suffering from Covid-19, following the explosion of an oxygen tube from a life support ventilator.

- Sailing: Sydney-Hobart race canceled -

The famous Sydney-Hobart sailing race was canceled for the first time in 76 years due to the coronavirus, its organizers announced on Saturday.

- More than 1.67 million dead -

The pandemic has killed more than 1,675,362 worldwide, according to a report established by AFP from official sources Saturday at 11:00 GMT.

The United States remains the most affected country both in terms of the number of deaths (313,660) and of recorded cases (17,465,147), followed by Brazil (185,650), India (145,136), Mexico (117,249), and Italy (67,894).

In France, the death toll since March has crossed the 60,000 mark, according to figures from Public Health France released on Friday.

The health authorities have been worried for several days of a "worrying" resumption of the epidemic, on the eve of the end of the year holidays.

© 2020 AFP