Positive results for the Sanofi vaccine

The French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced Wednesday large-scale positive results for its anti-Covid vaccine, developed with the British GSK, a project which thus ends almost a year late following multiple postponements.

The laboratories, which will seek regulatory approval in the United States and the European Union, have reported that this vaccine has been shown to be effective in preventing all hospitalizations linked to Covid-19.

They also reported slightly more than 50% effectiveness against all infections causing symptoms.

Call for vaccines to North Korea

Since closing its borders in 2020 to protect itself from the coronavirus, North Korea, which has claimed to have recorded no cases on its soil since the start of the pandemic, is a country more reclusive than ever.

Hong Kong: 19 billion euros in aid

Hong Kong, which is currently recording several thousand cases every day, will release an aid package of 19.2 billion euros to deal with the consequences of the worst wave of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

As rival international financial centers open up to the rest of the planet, Hong Kong, overwhelmed by a wave of Omicron variant contaminations, is seeing its long-effective zero-Covid strategy crumble.

The world facing the coronavirus Simon MALFATTO AFP

This resurgence has led to the reimposition of painful restrictions, resulting in the closure of schools, bars and even hairdressers, and has worsened the international isolation of the city.

EU: new recommendations for travelers

The member countries of the European Union (EU) have agreed to open up more to tourists from third countries who are vaccinated against Covid-19 or cured, by adopting a recommendation which will begin to apply on 1 March.

More than 5.9 million dead

The pandemic has officially killed at least 5,904,193 people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP from official sources on Wednesday at 11 a.m. GMT.

Europe is the region that is currently recording the most cases in the world, with 6,782,141 in the past seven days (56% of the world total), followed by the Asia zone (2,723,055 cases, 22%).

A photo taken on November 23, 2020 shows a vial labeled "Covid-19 Vaccine" near the Sanofi logo.

JOEL SAGET AFP/Archives

In absolute value, the United States is the country with the most deaths (939,201), ahead of Brazil (645,420), India (512,622) and Russia (347,816).

The WHO 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 established.

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© 2022 AFP