Paris (AFP)

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

- Towards an easing in Germany -

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will propose Wednesday to the heads of German regions an easing of restrictions on social contacts from March 8, according to a draft resolution obtained by AFP.

From now on, contacts will be possible between "two homes" but not exceeding a maximum of five people, children excluded, according to this project.

- Spain: more than 4 million unemployed -

Spain rose above the four million jobseeker mark in February, for the first time since 2016.

This increase is due to the impact "of the severe restrictions imposed to fight against the third wave of the pandemic", according to the Ministry of Employment.

- First vaccines in Iraq -

Iraq received on Monday evening 50,000 doses of vaccines from the Chinese laboratory Sinopharm, promising to administer them on Tuesday in a country of 40 million inhabitants with ruined infrastructure caught in a second worrying wave of contamination.

- Nigeria: 4 million doses received -

Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with 200 million inhabitants, received nearly 4 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines on Tuesday, funded by the Covax device which aims to provide low-income countries.

This is the first batch of 16 million AstraZeneca / Oxford doses due to arrive in Nigeria in the coming months, where caregivers and at-risk professions will be the first vaccinated, as of Friday, the authorities assured.

- Over 260 million doses -

More than 260 million doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in at least 128 countries or territories, according to a count made by AFP from official sources Tuesday at 9:00 GMT.

Israel, the most advanced country, has already injected doses to more than half (55%) of its population (nearly 40% have received both doses).

The United States, first in absolute terms, administered 76.9 million doses to 15% of its population, ahead of China (52.5 million doses), the United Kingdom (21.1 million at 30% of population) and India (14.9 million to 0.9% of the population).

- One third of the lost school year -

Children lost an average of 74 days of education around the world each, or nearly a third of a school year due to the pandemic, with widening inequalities, according to the NGO Save the Children.

At the height of the pandemic, 91% of the world's students were out of school.

- Violence against caregivers -

Insults, beatings, arrests: health personnel on the front line in the face of the coronavirus suffered more than 400 acts of violence linked to Covid-19 around the world in 2020, according to the NGO Coalition for the safeguard of health during conflicts ( CSSC).

- More than 2.5 million dead -

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 2.54 million people worldwide, according to a report established by AFP from official sources Tuesday at 11:00 GMT.

The United States is the most affected country with 514,657 deaths, followed by Brazil (255,720), Mexico (186,152), India (157,248) and the United Kingdom (122,953).

These figures, based on the daily reports of the health authorities, without including the reassessments based on statistical bases, are generally underestimated.

burs-paj / ber / ode

© 2021 AFP