Paris (AFP)

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

- Confinement lifted in Auckland -

The New Zealand authorities will lift the confinement ordered for three days in Auckland on Wednesday evening as planned, convinced that the source of infection discovered in the largest city in the country is under control.

- Cinemas and swimming pools reopened in Quebec -

Cinemas and swimming pools will reopen everywhere in Quebec, but under conditions, and the curfew is extended by at least two weeks.

- Towards new restrictions in Sweden -

Sweden plans to close gyms, restaurants and hairdressers in the face of a feared third epidemic wave, the government said.

- Vaccines: more than 185 million doses -

More than 185 million doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in at least 100 countries or territories, according to a count made by AFP from official sources on Wednesday at 11:00 GMT.

Israel, the most advanced country in proportion to its population, has already injected doses to nearly 47% of its population (31% received both doses).

The United States, the first in absolute terms, administered 55.2 million doses to 12% of its population.

- Japan vaccines -

Japan has launched the first stage of its coronavirus vaccination campaign, aimed first at protecting 40,000 employees in its medical sector, five months before the scheduled opening of the Tokyo Olympics, postponed last year.

- Campaign launched in South Africa -

Vaccination has started in South Africa, after an initial postponement linked to doubts about the effectiveness against the local variant of vaccines from the British laboratory AstraZeneca, first purchased by the government.

The first doses of the batch of 80,000 vaccines from the American laboratory Johnson & Johnson were administered to caregivers at the hospital in Khayelitsha, an important township in the city of Cape Town.

- Second wave of vaccination in Indonesia -

Indonesia has started the second phase of its vaccination campaign, which targets at-risk and older workers, with the hope of reviving its economy.

During a first phase that began on January 13, 1.1 million caregivers were vaccinated, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

- First batch for Gaza -

A first batch of 1,000 vaccines against the coronavirus is being shipped to the Gaza Strip, under Israeli blockade, Israeli authorities said on Wednesday, who had blocked the transfer earlier this week.

- No Pfizer vaccine for Taiwan -

The Taiwanese government says its efforts to obtain five million doses of the vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech failed at the last minute due to "political pressure", raising fears that Beijing would obstruct its vaccination efforts.

- More than 2.4 million dead -

The pandemic has killed at least 2.4 million people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to an assessment established by AFP from official sources on Wednesday at 11:00 GMT.

After the United States (488,081 dead), the countries with the most deaths are Brazil (240,940), Mexico (175,986), India (155,913) and the United Kingdom (118,195).

The number of victims is globally underestimated.

It is based on the daily reports of the national health authorities but excludes the revisions carried out a posteriori by statistical organizations.

burs-paj / ber / caz / ode

© 2021 AFP