Paris (AFP)

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

- Nearly 2.93 million dead -

The novel coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 2,929,563 worldwide since the WHO office in China reported the onset of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to an AFP report from official sources Sunday at 10:00 GMT.

The United States is the most affected country in terms of both deaths and cases, with 561,783 deaths for 31,151,493 cases.

- France: vaccination open to over 55s -

Vaccination against Covid-19 will be open on Monday without conditions to all French people over the age of 55, with the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

In France, where the vaccination campaign is experiencing delays, the vaccination coverage rate with two doses approaches 75% among residents of retirement homes, but reaches only 35% among 75-79 year olds in town, 9% among 70-74 years, 4% among 65-69 years.

The country, confined for the third time, is approaching the 100,000 dead mark.

- England reopens its businesses -

Non-essential businesses such as hairdressers, pub terraces or gyms, reopen Monday in England, confined since January.

The other British nations are following their own strategy.

The United Kingdom, the most bereaved country in Europe with more than 127,000 dead, has seen its health situation greatly improve thanks to a successful vaccination campaign.

The number of contaminations, such as hospitalizations and deaths (less than 50 / day) are falling sharply, but the United Kingdom remains very cautious for fear of the wave of contaminations in Europe.

Travel abroad remains prohibited until May 17.

- Libya launches its vaccination campaign -

Libya launched its vaccination campaign this weekend, starting with its Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah.

It targets in priority "the elderly, the chronically ill".

The latest official toll stands at 166,888 cases of contamination, including 2,807 dead, in the country of nearly seven million inhabitants where health infrastructure has been weakened by conflicts over the past ten years.

Two deliveries of 100,000 doses each of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine have already arrived in Libya, in addition to 57,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via the Covax device.

- Vaccine: necessary but not miraculous -

In France, the vaccination campaign will not be enough on its own to stem the epidemic, because of the risk of resistant variants or the shortcomings of this campaign, affirms in the press the epidemiologist Antoine Flahault.

"We need to get out of + live with + to move towards a strategy of removing the virus. The major risk, with the current strategy, is to return to this high plateau which has rotten the lives of the French since December, above from 10,000 to 15,000 cases per day ", explains the epidemiologist in the press.

He is thus in favor of a prolonged closure of schools (which must reopen on April 26, after a three-week confinement).

"Stopping adult activities is important, but another big breeding ground is that of schools (...) If the contaminations come back down in France, it will be necessary to maintain the effort beyond the spring holidays".

burs-rap / mw / els

© 2021 AFP