Paris (AFP)

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

- AstraZeneca: resumption of vaccination -

Germany, France, Italy, Bulgaria and Slovenia resume vaccination with AstraZeneca on Friday, declared "safe and effective" Thursday by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

About fifteen countries had suspended this vaccine as a precaution after reporting serious side effects.

An opinion from the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) of the World Health Organization (WHO) is also expected on Friday.

Other countries will resume this vaccination next week, including Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands.

On the other hand, Denmark, Norway and Sweden will wait.

- Germany: exponential rise in infections -

Germany is facing a "very clearly exponential" increase in Covid-19 infections, linked in particular to the spread of the British variant, vice-president of the institute for public health Robert Koch (RKI) said on Friday.

Angela Merkel and the leaders of the 16 Länder will meet on Monday to decide on possible new closures.

- Papua: potentially "out of control" situation -

International aid is too slow to avert a health disaster in Papua New Guinea, which is experiencing an epidemic outbreak, according to an official from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

- France maintains its growth forecast -

The French government maintains its forecast of 6% growth this year despite the tightening of restrictions in the face of the epidemic, Minister of Public Accounts Olivier Dussopt said on Friday, the day after the announcement of a reconfinement of a part of the country.

- Sputnik V: approved in the Philippines and production in India -

The Russian Sputnik V vaccine has been licensed in the Philippines, the Russian Sovereign Fund announced on Friday.

In addition, this fund announced that it had reached an agreement with an Indian pharmaceutical group to produce at least 200 million doses in India.

- Norway: mea culpa -

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has expressed contrition after embarrassing revelations that she and her family have violated anti-Covid guidelines in a country concerned about equality before the law.

For her 60th birthday at the end of February, Solberg reunited her family at a ski resort, breaking rules and recommendations to limit social interactions, the NRK public broadcaster revealed.

- More than 2.69 million deaths

The pandemic has killed at least 2,692,313 people worldwide since the start of the pandemic, according to a report established by AFP from official sources Friday at 11:00 GMT.

The United States is the country with the most deaths (539,699), followed by Brazil (287,499), Mexico (196,606), India (159,370) and the United Kingdom (125,926).

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

burs-ang / ber / ia

© 2021 AFP