The prospect of a third confinement has (a little) moved away in France, Emmanuel Macron having made it known that he would not speak this week.

In other countries, including the Netherlands, the announcement of new restrictions is contested in the streets.

In the United States, Joe Biden spoke of collective immunity by the summer.

Follow the evolution of the situation live.

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The hypothesis of a third confinement in France, which had taken shape in recent days, has finally receded, at least for now.

Emmanuel Macron made it known on Monday that he would not speak this week, even if the figures for the coronavirus epidemic remain worrying.

In other countries, restrictive measures are not well received, notably in the Netherlands, which has seen its second night of riots.

In the United States, the new president Joe Biden expressed his optimism, evoking a collective immunity "by the summer".

Follow the evolution of the situation live.

The main information to remember:

- A third confinement will not be announced this week in France

- Netherlands rocked by second consecutive night of riots

- US President Joe Biden spoke of collective immunity "by summer" in the United States

The prospect of a third confinement is fading ... for now

This did not seem to be much doubt, and yet ... Monday, Emmanuel Macron made it known that he would not speak this week to announce to the French a third confinement.

The government therefore leaves itself a few days of reflection to decide whether or not more restrictive measures and to measure the effectiveness of the curfew at 6 p.m.

Decisions could however be taken on Wednesday during a defense council around the President of the Republic.

The Head of State is considering a device that is still different from the first two confinements, more flexible especially for young people.

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However, according to several doctors, time is running out, especially in the face of the uncertainty linked to the spread of new variants.

The figures, in any case, remain worrying.

The number of patients hospitalized in intensive care units due to Covid-19 crossed the 3,000 mark on Monday, which had not happened since December 9.

According to data from Public Health France, 3,041 people are thus in its services, or 76 more people in 24 hours.

French hospitals are welcoming 26,924 patients with Covid-19 on Monday, compared to 26,393 on Sunday.

Over the last 24 hours, 531 additional people have therefore been hospitalized.

Riots in the Netherlands and other countries

The

Netherlands

experienced on the night of Monday to Tuesday a second outbreak of violence orchestrated by opponents of the curfew, imposed this weekend for the first time in the country since World War II.

The main cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, but also other localities (Amersfoort, Geleen, Den Bosch, Haarlem, etc.) have experienced riots, between clashes between protesters with the police and acts of vandalism against shopping.

More than 70 people have been arrested, according to Dutch public television NOS.

On Monday evening, the mayors of several cities across the country announced that they would take emergency measures to try to prevent further unrest.

That of Rotterdam, for example, Ahmed Aboutaleb, issued a decree authorizing the police to increase the arrests.

Already the night before, the police had arrested 250 people in similar riots in several cities.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned "criminal violence", saying it was "the worst riots in forty years".

"It has nothing to do with the struggle for freedom. We do not take all these measures for fun. We do it because we are fighting the virus and it is for the moment the virus which takes our freedom from us" , added the head of government.

A similar grumbling against the restrictions also emerged on Monday in Tripoli, the large city in northern

Lebanon

, where security forces had to contain young protesters targeting the headquarters of local authorities.

The Lebanese Red Cross has reported more than 30 injured.

The country has extended strict containment until February 8.

The day before, in a district of Tel Aviv in

Israel

, clashes had opposed the police to ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting against the confinement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the "heavy handedness" employed by the police, who arrested thirteen people.

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Collective immunity "by summer" in the United States?

The Covid-19 has killed at least 2.1 million people and infected more than 99.1 around the world, according to a report established on Monday by AFP on Monday.

Mexico has passed 150,000 dead.

The United States remains the most bereaved country (more than 420,000 deaths).

US President Joe Biden gave a horizon Monday evening: "I am confident in the fact that by the summer we will have come much closer to collective immunity".

Asked about the date on which all Americans wishing to benefit from the vaccine will be able to do so, their new president replied: "spring".

A glimmer of hope lavished on the day when California eased certain restrictions, thanks to a slight improvement in the situation in hospitals.

The most populous state in the country had introduced measures in early December banning non-essential gatherings and activities.

Vaccines: Pasteur throws in the towel, Moderna reassures, AstraZeneca annoys

The appearance and spread of variants of the coronavirus, known to be more contagious and perhaps lethal, has further sharpened the challenge of vaccination.

On the French side, the bad news came Monday from Pasteur, who announced that he was abandoning his most advanced vaccine project, for lack of effectiveness.

The American biotechnology company Moderna, which created one of the first available vaccines, announced Monday that its formula remained effective against variants, including the British.

But she also observed less protection against the South African variant.

"Despite this reduction", antibody levels "remain above what is expected as necessary to provide protection," she reassured.

BioNTech and Pfizer, the manufacturers of the main vaccine administered worldwide, have ensured that the latter was effective against the N501Y mutation, observed in particular on the British variant, and suspected of making it more contagious.

But their laboratory checks did not focus on the mutation (E484K) observed specifically on the South African variant.                    

Vaccination campaigns are also encountering delivery delays, which are enraging in Europe.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday called the CEO of British laboratory AstraZeneca to demand that he honor his deliveries.