Paris (AFP)

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

- France: extended health pass and restrictions in Martinique -

Bars, restaurants, cinemas, hospitals, transport: the expanded health pass entered the daily life of the French on Monday, for a week of breaking in first, despite the protest in the street.

A valid pass shows a complete vaccination schedule, recovery from illness within the previous six months, or a negative test within 72 hours.

Its objective is to encourage vaccination and avoid further confinement.

The island of Martinique, in the French West Indies, in the grip of a severe rebound in the epidemic, will enter a "second phase of containment", involving in particular the closure of beaches and the invitation to tourists to "leave the territory, "the prefect said on Monday.

Martinicans are forced to travel a maximum distance of one kilometer around their home.

Hotels and seasonal rentals, places of leisure and culture, shops - except food and pharmacies - are closed.

- Pfizer: 3rd dose rather than adaptation to variants -

The vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech laboratories has "not yet" need to be adapted to the new variants in circulation, assured the boss of BioNTech on Monday, recommending a "third dose" instead.

- Switzerland: Moderna approved for teens -

The Swiss health authority has approved the vaccine against the coronavirus from the American laboratory Moderna for 12-17 year olds, after having already given the green light to that of Pfizer-BioNTech for adolescents in early June.

- Italy: network of fake pass dismantled -

Italian police have dismantled an online sales network for fake health passes, which became compulsory on Friday in the peninsula to access many public places.

- Economic improvements -

In Germany, exports exceeded their pre-pandemic level in June, a first since the start of the health crisis, according to the Destatis statistical institute.

In France, activity has almost returned to its pre-crisis level in July, according to the Banque de France.

The country still shows a loss of GDP of between 1% and 1.5% compared to before the pandemic, against 2% in June.

- Collective cremations in Sri Lanka -

Sri Lanka has started collective cremations of Covid-19 victims whose bodies are accumulating in morgues, in parallel with the sharp increase in the number of contaminations.

- Malaysia: easing of restrictions for the vaccinated -

Malaysia will ease from Tuesday health restrictions for fully vaccinated people over a large part of its territory, which is home to half of its population.

- Canada: Americans vaccinated can enter -

The land border between the United States and Canada reopened Monday for fully vaccinated Americans, after nearly 17 months of closure.

At this time, Canadians are not allowed to cross the border for non-essential travel.

- United States: compulsory vaccination for the military -

Vaccination will become mandatory "by mid-September" for all members of the US armed forces, Defense Minister Lloyd Austin announced Monday in a note to Pentagon employees.

The Ministry of Defense employs 2.5 million active and National Guard soldiers.

Among them, only a little more than half are partially or fully vaccinated.

- Russia: fatal rupture of an oxygen hose, 9 dead -

Nine Covid-19 patients died on Monday after an oxygen hose broke in a hospital in Vladikavkaz, capital of the Russian Republic of North Ossetia, the Minister of Health announced.

According to the ministry, 71 patients were in intensive care at the time of the incident, thirteen of whom were on life support.

The nine patients who perished were all in the latter case.

- Iran: record number of cases -

The daily toll of contaminations in Iran reached a record for the second day in a row with more than 40,000 new cases identified, according to the Ministry of Health.

- More than 4.29 million dead -

The pandemic has killed more than 4.29 million people around the world since the end of December 2019, out of more than 202 million confirmed infections, according to a report established by AFP on Monday at 10 a.m. GMT.

The United States is the country with the most deaths (617,303), ahead of Brazil (563,562) and India (428,309).

The World Health Organization estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than the official figures.

burs-elm / ybl

© 2021 AFP