WHO is concerned about contamination in Europe

The World Health Organization was alarmed on Thursday at the "very worrying" rate of transmission of Covid-19 currently observed in Europe, which could lead to half a million additional deaths on the continent by February.

"We are, again, at the epicenter," lamented WHO Europe director Hans Kluge during an online press conference.

For the WHO, the increase in cases is explained by the combination of insufficient vaccination coverage and the relaxation of anti-Covid measures.

According to data from WHO Europe, hospitalizations linked to Covid "have more than doubled in one week".

Record of daily infections in Germany

Germany recorded a record number of new Covid-19 infections on Thursday with 33,949 additional cases in 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch health watch institute.

The previous record was reached on December 18, 2020, with 33,777 new infections.

In total, more than 4.6 million people have been infected since the start of the epidemic by the new coronavirus in Germany, hit by a fourth "massive" wave affecting mainly the unvaccinated, according to the government of Angela Merkel .

- UK approves Merck's anti-Covid pill -

The United Kingdom announced Thursday that it was the first country to authorize molnupiravir, a pill treatment against Covid-19 developed by the American laboratory Merck.

Molnupiravir has been cleared by the UK regulatory agency, MHRA, for use in people with mild to moderate Covid who have at least one risk factor for developing serious illness (obesity, over 60 years , diabetes, heart disease).

Administered to patients within days of a positive test, the treatment halves the risk of hospitalization, according to a clinical trial conducted by Merck, also called MSD outside the United States.

The logo of the German pharmaceutical company Merck, in Darmstadt, March 3, 2015. DANIEL ROLAND AFP / Archives

The Eiffel Tower returns to good attendance

The Eiffel Tower, which reopened in July after nearly nine months of closure, experienced "a beautiful month of October" thanks to a "real return of tourism" in the French capital, regaining previous levels of attendance. Covid, according to its operating company.

But with 1.5 million visitors anticipated for 2021 against 6.2 million in 2019, this recovery "will not cover the losses accumulated" with the health crisis, according to the same source.

- More than five million dead -

The pandemic has killed at least 5,020,845 people around the world since the end of December 2019, according to an assessment established by AFP from official sources, Thursday in the middle of the day.

The United States is the most bereaved country with 750,431 dead, followed by Brazil (608,235), India (459,652), Mexico (288,887) and Russia (243,255).

Covid-19: AFP global report

These figures are based on the daily official balance sheets of each country, excluding upward revisions made a posteriori by some statistical agencies.

By taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates that the global toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher.

burx-paj / mw / thm

© 2021 AFP