Beijing (AFP)
China announced on Sunday that it had administered a billion doses of vaccines, and is virtually free from Covid cases, far from Brazil which has crossed the threshold of 500,000 deaths.
In favor of a health improvement, some countries, such as France and Japan, relax their anti-Covid measures on Sunday, but in Russia the resurgence of the epidemic caused by the Delta variant is forcing the authorities to tighten the screw.
China has now administered more than a billion doses of anti-Covid vaccines, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday, without specifying the percentage of the population having received a full vaccination.
This represents more than a third of the number of doses injected in the world, or 2.5 billion, according to an AFP count made on Friday from official sources.
The Chinese did not initially rush to get vaccinated, as the virus has been virtually eradicated from the country for more than a year, thanks to mandatory quarantines, massive screenings or mobile travel control applications.
The lack of data initially available on Chinese vaccines and past health scandals had fueled mistrust.
But the authorities strongly urged the population to be vaccinated, insisting on national solidarity and their duty as citizens, not hesitating to display the percentage of vaccinated in front of buildings to put pressure on the recalcitrant.
Some residents have received vouchers to encourage vaccinations.
On Sunday, only 23 new patients were registered in 24 hours in the Asian giant of 1.4 billion inhabitants, all from abroad and automatically placed in quarantine.
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- Third wave -
A situation that contrasts sharply with Brazil, where the recent increase in daily deaths confirms the arrival of a third wave.
The country of 212 million inhabitants became on Saturday the second country in the world after the United States to exceed the threshold of 500,000 deaths from Covid-19, including 2,301 recorded in the last 24 hours.
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This week, the weekly average of daily deaths rose above 2,000 for the first time since May 10.
The situation is critical in 19 of the 27 Brazilian states, with more than 80% occupancy of intensive care beds, and 90% in eight of them.
The vaccination campaign in Brazil started late, in mid-January, and only 29% of the population has received at least one dose and 11.36% of them are fully vaccinated.
Thanks to the health improvement, France is freed from the curfew on Sunday, in force for eight months, a new step in a return to the life before after the abandonment this week of the mask outdoors.
On Monday we can celebrate an almost normal Music Festival.
France, one of the countries in Europe most affected by the virus with more than 110,000 deaths, was one of the last to maintain such a measure along with Italy and Greece.
Other European countries, including Germany and Spain, are moving towards a gradual lifting of the wearing of masks.
"We all know that we have to go gradually," said composer Jean-Michel Jarre on Friday, who will play at the Elysee Palace on Monday.
- "Fever clinic" -
Bars and restaurants will again be allowed to serve alcohol until 7:00 p.m., but will have to continue to close at 8:00 p.m.
The lightened restrictions will make it possible to authorize events (sports meetings, concerts) with spectators, but with a tonnage of 50% of the reception capacities of each site and within a limit of 10,000 people maximum.
However, the six fan-zones initially planned to follow the Olympic competitions in Tokyo on giant screens have been canceled.
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Preparing for the month-long Tokyo Games to open, organizers on Sunday opened the doors of the Olympic Village to the media, unveiling a "fever clinic" to test and isolate those suspected of being infected.
Vigilance, on the other hand, in Moscow which attributes a resurgence of the epidemic to the Delta variant.
The Russian capital recorded 8,305 cases in 24 hours on Sunday, a slight decline after the records of 9,056 cases on Friday and 9,120 cases on Saturday.
The number of new cases, on the other hand, exceeded 1,000 in 24 hours in Saint Petersburg for the first time since the end of February.
This Covid-19 outbreak is due, according to the Russian authorities, to the Delta variant, which appeared in India and which threatens to overwhelm Moscow hospitals.
The city of Moscow and its region were the first in Russia this week to make vaccination compulsory for workers in the service sector.
Since then, seven other local entities including St. Petersburg and its region have taken similar measures, according to Russian media.
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Employees who refuse vaccination in regions where it is compulsory may be put on unpaid leave, Russian Labor Minister Anton Kotiakov told Russian media.
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© 2021 AFP