The South African variant has just been detected in Guadeloupe and hospital pressure remains strong in France.
Gabriel Attal announced Wednesday that the containment in force on the weekend on the coast of the Alpes-Maritimes would be extended on Saturday and Sunday.
A year ago to the day, the WHO qualified the Covid-19 as a pandemic.
Follow the evolution of the situation live.
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With more than 3,900 patients in intensive care on Wednesday, the health situation linked to Covid-19 remains very tense in the country.
In Guadeloupe, the South African variant of the coronavirus was detected for the first time, when the archipelago is experiencing a "stabilization" of its indicators, local authorities said on Wednesday.
In the Alpes-Maritimes, the confinement in force will be extended over the coming weekend.
Follow the evolution of the situation live.
The main information to remember:
The South African variant was detected in Guadeloupe
A year ago, the WHO qualified the Covid-19 as a pandemic
Hospital pressure remains very strong in France
Containment in the Alpes-Maritimes has been extended at least for a weekend
The South African variant identified in Guadeloupe
The South African variant of the coronavirus was detected for the first time in Guadeloupe, when the archipelago is experiencing a "stabilization" of its indicators, and the British variant predominates, local authorities said on Wednesday.
"We are on a plateau, we must now begin the descent," said the prefect of Guadeloupe, Alexandre Rochatte, during the weekly press briefing devoted to the health situation in the archipelago.
Although the contamination indicators remain stable, even slightly lower over a week, a case of contamination with the South African variant and a second case subjected to sequencing in Paris, have been identified, according to Alexandre Rochatte.
One year of pandemic
A year ago to the day, the WHO qualified the Covid-19 as a pandemic, saying it was "deeply concerned" by its "alarming levels of spread": after months of chaos and efforts, the response was organized around the world but remains uneven depending on the region.
At this stage, the virus has killed at least 2,611,162 worldwide, with more than 117,511,850 cases of infection diagnosed, according to a report established Wednesday by AFP.
89,565 deaths in France in total, more than 3,900 patients in intensive care
The number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients fell on Wednesday, to 24,969 patients, a decrease of 232 patients compared to the last assessment.
The number of patients in sheaves, the service which receives the most serious cases, is 3,918.
A week ago it stood at 3,637.
Lowered below the 2,600 mark at the beginning of January, this indicator has continued to rise since then and is now at the level of the end of November.
However, it is still far from the peak of the second wave in autumn (4,900 in mid-November) and the first wave in spring (7,000 in early April).
As of Wednesday, 264 deaths from Covid-19 in hospital were recorded, bringing the total death toll since the start of the epidemic a year ago to 89,565, including 64,321 in hospital.
Alpes-Maritimes: confinement extended this weekend
The weekend confinement in the Alpes-Maritimes, in force for two weeks, has been extended to the coming Saturday and Sunday, government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced on Wednesday after the Council of Ministers.
"A point will be made next week to measure whether the dynamics of reduction in the incidence and the epidemic in the department continues", to allow "in this case (to) be able to consider lifting the measure".
"Medical evacuations" for Île-de-France
While the number of Covid-19 contaminations is still as high in Ile-de-France, there will be "a certain number of medical evacuations in the coming days of hospitalized patients, in particular" for this region, also announced Gabriel Attal.
"This is already the case for other regions," said Gabriel Attal, insisting on the necessary mobilization of "all the forces available to welcome patients", especially in the private sector.
The Paris region, faced with the English variant of the coronavirus, more contagious, has seen the number of Covid-19 patients skyrocket in the intensive care units of its hospitals, up to 1,018 patients on Tuesday for "less than 1,050" beds available in theory, according to the Regional Health Agency (ARS).
The ARS gave "the firm order" to hospitals and clinics to deprogram 40% of their medical and surgical activities to increase reception capacities.
The British variant is now largely in the majority in France
According to figures released by Public Health France, the British variant is now in the majority in the country, with nearly 65% of new cases in France.
The three most affected departments are Corse-du-Sud (85.1%), Aube (84.5%) and Alpes-Maritimes (81.2%).
But it was foreseeable that this variant would become the majority because epidemiologists estimate that it is between 30 and 70% more contagious than the old strain.
As for the South African and Brazilian variants, which worry the authorities the most, they remain under control in France, since no exponential increase in the number of contaminations has been observed for the time being.
>> READ ALSO - Covid-19: how fast do variants circulate in France?
Lemoyne will bring together tourism professionals to prepare for "the recovery"
Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne will bring together tourism professionals "next week" to "work on the conditions for recovery", the Secretary of State for Tourism announced on Wednesday.
"Next week I will meet during three meetings with my colleagues Alain Griset (Minister for SMEs) and Elisabeth Borne (Minister of Labor), the players in the hotel and catering industry, events, etc. . to work under the conditions of resumption ", he announced.
"A gradual reopening can be done by identifying places by category," he said without however advancing on a specific date.
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Texas reopens "100%"
A wind of optimism continued to blow in the United States on Wednesday, where Texas reopened "100%", when Joe Biden indicated that he wanted to buy 100 million additional doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine against Covid- 19.
Announced last week, the lifting of restrictions in the second most populous state in the United States took effect on Wednesday: no more compulsory masks in public and reopening of all businesses without limitations.
Locally, some cities like Austin, the state capital, have decided that the wearing of masks will remain compulsory.
Experts warn that the level of circulation of the disease remains far too high to relax.
They also warn of the approach of spring break, which will lead to more travel, and the rapid spread of variants.
More than 2.6 million dead
The pandemic has killed at least 2.6 million people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established Wednesday by AFP from official sources.
The United States is the most affected country with 529,067 deaths, followed by Brazil (270,656), Mexico (191,789), India (158,063) and the United Kingdom (124,797).