LIVE - Coronavirus: the British variant now present in more than 60 countries

The WHO announced Wednesday morning that the British variant of the coronavirus was now present in more than 60 countries.

In the United States, Joe Biden paid solemn tribute to the 400,000 American dead victims of the disease.

In Europe, the epidemic situation is deteriorating, and increased border control is increasingly mentioned.

Finally in France, it is still the management of vaccination that attracts attention.

Follow the evolution of the situation live.

LIVE

The British variant of the coronavirus continues to spread across the world.

It is now present in more than 60 countries and territories, according to the WHO.

This is particularly the case in the United States, where Joe has shown that, unlike Donald Trump, the fight against the epidemic would be the priority at the start of his mandate by paying solemn tribute to the 400,000 American dead from the Covid.

On the European side, increased border control is now openly mentioned, in particular by Germany.

In France, attention is still focused on the failures of the vaccination campaign, and the epidemiological data show a deterioration of the situation.

Follow the evolution of the situation live.

The main information to remember

- The English variant now present in more than 60 countries and territories

- Joe Biden paid solemn tribute to 400,000 American deaths from Covid

- In France, where the epidemic situation is deteriorating, the controversy still swells over the management and the vaccination campaign

- Germany for the first time mentioned increased border control within the European Union

The British variant continues to spread around the world

The British variant of the virus that gives Covid-19 continues to spread across the world and was present last week in 60 countries and territories, 10 more than on January 12, the World Health Organization said. Wednesday.

The South African variant, which, like the British, is much more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, spreads more slowly and is present in 23 countries and territories, or 3 more than January 12, specifies the WHO in its weekly epidemiological review.

Critical situation in France on the epidemic front, and on that of vaccines

The number of people sick with the coronavirus hospitalized in intensive care continued to climb on Tuesday, to 2,829 against 2,803 the day before, according to figures from Public Health France.

The barrier of 2,800 people was crossed Monday for the first time since mid-December, marking an increase in the pressure on the hospital system.

And 315 Covid-19 patients have been admitted in sheaves in the last 24 hours.

This bar of 300 daily admissions had not been exceeded since mid-November.

In addition, the acceleration of the vaccination campaign has borne fruit, since for the first time, more than 100,000 people were vaccinated in a single day, Tuesday.

But many local elected officials or health personnel point to a glaring lack of doses in the field.

"I remind you that we have chosen to open vaccination to more than six million French people aged 75 and over or carriers of diseases and that we do not have, at this stage, the six million vaccines", replied Olivier Véran insisted in front of the journalists.

"We are therefore in a just-in-time operation. Each time vaccines are delivered to us, they are immediately distributed to the 900 vaccination centers throughout the country."

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How the government responds to criticism of the lack of doses

Joe Biden's solemn tribute to the 400,000 American dead

US President-elect Joe Biden paid tribute on Tuesday in Washington on the eve of his inauguration to the 400,000 American dead from Covid-19.

"To heal, we must remember. It is difficult sometimes to remember but this is how we heal," said the Democrat who will succeed Donald Trump on Wednesday.

"That is why we are here today", he added in a very brief speech, in front of 400 lights shining in homage to the victims, around the large basin of the vast esplanade of the "National Mall".

Joe Biden has already announced that he would take a decree on Wednesday to make it compulsory to wear a mask in premises and spaces dependent on the federal state, as well as when traveling between states, which outgoing President Donald Trump has always refused .

With the threshold of 400,000 dead crossed on Tuesday, the United States is by far the most bereaved nation in absolute terms.

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Germany toughens measures, talks about increased border control within the EU

In Germany, where nearly a thousand deaths from the coronavirus were recorded on Tuesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced to tighten the restrictions against Covid-19, with in particular the compulsory medical mask in transport and stores, and to extend them until to February 14.

All restrictions already in place, such as the closure of schools, bars, restaurants and cultural venues, "will apply until February 14, 2021," the Chancellor announced after nearly eight hours of negotiations with leaders. regional.

The Chancellor also warned, two days before an EU council devoted to variants of the virus, that a reestablishment of controls between EU countries was not excluded if the situation deteriorated.

The situation is deteriorating in several countries

The

United Kingdom

, the country most bereaved in Europe by the pandemic, faced for several weeks with a surge in Covid-19 cases, recorded 1,610 additional deaths on Tuesday, a record since the start of the pandemic, according to the ministry of health.

According to a study released the same day, one in eight people in England has had Covid-19, a marked increase from the previous month (1 in 11).

Faced with the rise in infections, the

Israeli

government

decided on Tuesday to extend the confinement until the end of January and to require negative Covid-19 tests to enter the country.

For a month, the Jewish state has vaccinated more than 2.2 million inhabitants - a quarter of its population - according to its government.

But Israel has recorded just over 10,000 cases of contamination in the past 24 hours, a daily record.

The

Moroccan

government

decided on Tuesday to extend until February 2 the curfew implemented for a month to deal with the spread of the new coronavirus and the appearance of new strains of the virus, according to a statement from the executive.

The Covid-19 epidemic hit new records Tuesday in

Portugal

, with 218 dead in 24 hours, and Prime Minister Antonio Costa has come under criticism from the opposition after being forced to tighten restrictions on general containment just entered into force.

With nearly 70,000 infections last week, Portugal has become the country in the world with the most contagions in relation to its population, exceeded only by the British enclave of Gibraltar, according to data collected by AFP from national authorities .