Over 300 million cases worldwide

More than 300 million cases of Covid-19 have been officially recorded worldwide since the start of the pandemic, according to an AFP count from official reports on Friday at 3:45 p.m. GMT.

A total of 300,042,439 cases of infection have been diagnosed since the WHO office in China reported the onset of the disease in late December 2019.

The pandemic has killed more than 5.47 million people worldwide, according to the AFP report.

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 that officially recorded.

The Covid "won't be here forever" in its current form

The Covid-19 "as we know it today will not be here forever", at least in its current form, Joe Biden promised Friday, as the United States faces a new wave of the pandemic.

"But having the Covid in our environment and on the planet, it will probably persist," he admitted.

The world facing the coronavirus Simon MALFATTO AFP

Vaccination obligation: the Supreme Court will rule

The Supreme Court of the United States examines Friday urgently the obligation to be vaccinated against Covid-19 that Joe Biden wants to impose as quickly as possible on millions of recalcitrant employees.

Germany restricts access to restaurants and bars

Faced with the rise in infections with the Omicron variant, Germany will further restrict access to restaurants and cafes but reduce the quarantine periods to avoid a possible paralysis of the country, announced Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Non-vaccinated: the French president accepts his words

French President Emmanuel Macron said he “fully” assumed his controversial remarks on Tuesday on the unvaccinated, which he said he wanted to “piss off”, accusing some of them of making “their freedom, which is becoming a irresponsibility, a slogan ".

Djokovic still in detention in Australia

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic thanked his support "around the world" on Friday Orthodox Christmas Day from the Melbourne detention center where he was placed after his visa was canceled due to the blur surrounding his situation vaccine.

Soldiers deployed to British hospitals

Several hundred soldiers will be deployed to reinforce British hospitals and ambulance services, faced with growing absenteeism and an increase in hospitalizations due to Covid-19, the authorities announced.

A new treatment approved in France

A new treatment, Xevudy, has been approved by French health authorities, who see it as promising against infection with Omicron while other drugs have just been withdrawn because of their ineffectiveness against the new variant.

Senior officials quarantined in Hong Kong

Several dozen senior Hong Kong officials were sent to a 21-day quarantine camp after rubbing shoulders with infected people at a party that brought together many of the city's political elite.

India: a big authorized Hindu festival

An Indian court has rejected a request to cancel a major Hindu festival, despite fears the gathering could spread the epidemic, in a country marked by an upsurge in cases due to the Omicron variant.

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