The Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 2.4 million people worldwide since the end of December 2019, when the Chinese office of the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the outbreak of the disease, according to a report established by Agence France-Presse (AFP), Monday February 22, from official sources. These data are based on reports provided daily by the health authorities in each country and exclude ex post revisions by statistical agencies, such as in Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
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In the United States, “more Americans died than during the Second World War”
A year after the announcement, on February 29, 2020, of the first death of Covid-19 in the country, the death toll is expected to reach 500,000 imminently, with a count of 498,901 deaths made by Johns-Hopkins University. “We have not known anything like this for over a hundred years, since the 1918 pandemicImmunologist Anthony Fauci, adviser to US President Joe Biden, said on Sunday. It is something that will go down in history. “
The threshold of 400,000 deaths was exceeded in January on the eve of the inauguration of Joe Biden, who has made the fight against the epidemic the top priority of his start in office. ” Five hundred thousand ! That’s nearly 70,000 more than all Americans who died in WWII ”, lamented Friday Mr. Biden, stressing however the hope related to the current rhythm of vaccinations: “I believe we will be getting closer to normal by the end of this year. “
More than 61 million people have already received one of the two vaccines authorized in the United States (those of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna), of which 18 million have had the two required injections. With an average of 1.7 million daily injections, which is expected to increase, he said he was confident in the ability to reach 600 million doses (enough to vaccinate the entire population) available by the end of July.
Deconfinement plan in the United Kingdom
In the UK, the hardest-hit European country with more than 120,000 dead, Prime Minister Boris Johnson presents a plan on Monday ” careful “ and “Progressive” to get England out of the re-containment imposed at the beginning of January in the face of an explosion of contaminations linked to the variant which appeared in Kent.
Schools will reopen in England on March 8, the government has already noted. With each nation deciding on its deconfinement strategy, schools are gradually reopening on Monday in Scotland and Wales.
The vaccination campaign launched in December is in full swing: one in three adults has received a first dose. By mid-April, those over 50 should all have received a first injection.
Reopening of schools in Germany
After two months of closure, and despite fears of a third epidemic wave linked to the variant initially detected in the United Kingdom, schools reopen Monday in most of Germany with draconian sanitary conditions.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has acknowledged a high desire for easing in the country and said she understands it, a participant reported at a meeting with her party leaders on Monday morning. But according to the Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, “We must not make false promises”.
Urged to prioritize India, the Serum Institute of India – the world’s largest vaccine maker, which produces AstraZeneca’s vaccine under the Covishield name – has called on countries awaiting supply to be “Patients”.
India wants to vaccinate 300 million people by July and is behind schedule with just over 11 million doses administered. In the most affected state of the country, Maharashtra (110 million inhabitants), which is home to the economic capital, Bombay, new restrictions were imposed on Monday after an upsurge in contamination.
Start of vaccination campaign in Australia
Australia kicked off its vaccination campaign on Monday. Some 60,000 doses are ready to be injected this week, with nursing staff, police or residents of retirement homes.
This launch was, however, clouded by anti-vaccine demonstrations in some major cities and by the hostile reactions expressed by some spectators at the men’s final of the Open tennis on Sunday.
Our selection of articles on Covid-19
