The pandemic has killed at least 5,368,777 million people worldwide since the end of 2019, according to an assessment established by AFP from official sources on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the actual toll could be two to three times higher.

The Europe region currently records the most cases, with 2,870,947 cases in the last seven days (60% of the world total), followed by the USA / Canada zone (1,108,580 cases, 23%).

An extraordinary council of ministers must approve a decree-law on Thursday so that the wearing of the mask in the open air is effective for Christmas, which always involves important gatherings.

Record also broken in the United Kingdom, which crossed for the first time Wednesday the barrier of 100,000 new daily cases (106,122, including more than half of Omicron).

The country, among the hardest hit in the world (more than 147,500 dead, including 140 in the past 24 hours), is trying to speed up vaccination.

Almost a million booster doses are given every day.

Scotland announced Tuesday the cancellation of its New Year's festivities. Wales will also tighten the screws: from Sunday, groups will be limited to six people in cinemas, pubs and restaurants, with service to compulsory table, events limited to 50 people outdoors or 30 indoors.

Vaccination of children in France

Omicron is also spreading "very quickly" in France and could become the majority there between Christmas and New Years, according to the government, which called for "accelerating" the use of telework.

The number of contaminations could exceed 100,000 per day at the end of December, warned the Minister of Health.

France, which is betting on an acceleration of vaccination rather than restrictions, launched its campaign for children on Wednesday.

Finland is preparing to do the same, after several other European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Greece, Spain and Portugal.

A child receives a dose of Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19, December 17, 2021 in Paris GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT AFP / Archives

Belgium announced Wednesday evening the closure of its cinemas and theaters.

Cafés and restaurants can stay open until 11:00 p.m.

Highly contagious, the new variant, detected in November in southern Africa, is spreading at lightning speed throughout the European continent.

"Omicron is becoming, or has already become, dominant in several countries including Denmark, Portugal and the UK, where numbers are doubling every one and a half to three days, resulting in unprecedented rates of transmission." , said Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Director for Europe.

The boss of the organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned against the illusion that it is enough to administer booster doses to get out of the pandemic.

A patient with Covid-19 in the intensive care unit of the Center Hospitalier Régional de la Citadelle in Liège, December 21, 2021 in Belgium JOHN THYS AFP

"Indiscriminate booster programs are likely to prolong the pandemic, rather than end it, by diverting available doses to countries that already have high vaccination rates, thus giving the virus more opportunities to spread. spread and mutate, ”Dr. Tedros pointed out.

China: 13 million confined

Omicron is already largely dominant (73% of new contaminations) in the United States.

However, the country is "ready", assured President Joe Biden on Tuesday, repeating that there was no reason to "panic".

The American Medicines Agency (FDA) on Wednesday authorized the pill from the Pfizer laboratory for the treatment of patients with Covid.

The world facing the coronavirus Simon MALFATTO AFP

This pill can reduce hospitalizations and deaths in people at risk by almost 90% when taken in the first days after symptoms appear, according to clinical trials on more than 2,200 people.

In Turkey, the anti-Covid Turkovac vaccine has also received an "emergency" authorization, the Minister of Health announced on Wednesday.

Clinical data from recent weeks suggests that Omicron is no more dangerous than previous variants, including Delta.

But scientists warn of an optical effect.

Because Omicron is much more contagious, the consequences could be serious on a collective level, the outbreak of contaminations automatically leading to an increase in the number of hospitalized patients - especially fragile or unvaccinated people - and ultimately more deaths.

Resident gets Covid-19 test on December 21, 2021 in Xi'an, northern China STR AFP

In China, the 13 million inhabitants of the metropolis of Xi'an (north), known for its army buried in terracotta, are now confined to contain an outbreak of Covid-19.

One person per household can go out to shop every other day.

China, where Covid-19 appeared two years ago, is pursuing a "zero Covid" strategy, which consists of doing everything to limit the occurrence of new cases as much as possible.

© 2021 AFP