The waves repeat themselves and bring back their share of uncertainties and worries. The 7th is a threat that worries both summer visitors who fear disrupted holidays and authorities concerned about the rise in pandemic indicators. A figure, in France, challenges: the number of contaminations. It has just passed the 200,000 per day mark and further confirms the contagiousness of Omicron’s sub-variants.
The circulation of the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants is not only a concern in France since China has also chosen to reconfine several million people in reaction to the epidemic rebound which raises fears of the return of restrictions on a larger scale. . At the same time, Israel authorizes the vaccination of toddlers with Pfizer and Moderna. We take stock of the latest information around the pandemic.
More than 200,000 cases in France
The new Minister of Health, François Braun, announced it himself: the bar of 200,000 cases recorded in 24 hours was crossed on Tuesday. The exact number of people affected by the virus is 206,554 cases, which is 59,306 more than last Tuesday. This brings the incidence rate to 1141.12 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in France. A particularly high figure that weighs on hospitals. François Braun did not fail to recall: “We are extremely attentive to the evolution of the situation in the context that we know about the hospital”.
The number of deaths recorded in 24 hours at the hospital jumped to nearly 75 dead. There are also 17,041 patients hospitalized with Covid-19, up 403 from Monday. 1004 patients are in intensive care. In this context, the executive wished to recall that “vaccination saves lives” while recommending wearing the mask in particularly busy closed places. For the time being, the government does not intend to reverse its decision to no longer make the mask compulsory.
Nice makes the mask compulsory again
The city of Nice has chosen, on the contrary, to take the plunge. The decision was announced by the city’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, this morning. “That’s it, I took my order, with other mayors of the metropolis of Nice, I’m thinking of that of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent and others…”, he expressed at the microphone of RTL. The mask will again be compulsory “throughout the metropolitan transport network”. The decision will be effective from Monday, July 11.
For the city councilor, the government will be forced to go through this measure which should not delight local residents. “200,000 more cases in 24 hours, we can clearly see that we are on a seventh wave which is skyrocketing and which is taking us towards a high-risk return to school”, he justified.
China reconfigures millions of inhabitants
Faced with the resurgence of contamination, China has taken an even more radical decision. In line with its zero Covid policy which consists of multiplying screenings, making quarantines compulsory in the event of a positive PCR test and applying targeted confinements, the Chinese government has decided to confine several million people, according to AFP. In Beijing, from Monday July 11, libraries, museums and cinemas will only be accessible to vaccinated people. Several cities in the country such as Xi’an have been put under a bell.
Israel authorizes the vaccination of the youngest
The Israeli Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that it had authorized babies and children between 6 months and 4 years old to be vaccinated against Covid-19 with injections from Pfizer and Moderna laboratories. Israel thus becomes the second country in the world after the United States to authorize messenger RNA vaccines for its entire population. In June, the US Medicines Agency (FDA) authorized the use of the Moderna vaccine for children between 6 months and 5 years old and that of Pfizer for those between 6 months and 4 years old.
This decision was taken in view of the opinion of two advisory committees dismissing the risk of side effects and therefore recommending the injection from 6 months. 17% of children in the age group of 5 to 11 years received a dose of vaccine. They are among the 6 million vaccinated Israelis.
Immune system may be involved in brain damage caused by Covid-19
The study will undoubtedly make it possible to know a little more about long Covids. The immune response to Covid-19 would damage the blood vessels of the brain and could be responsible for the symptoms of “Covid long”. This is the conclusion of the study conducted by several American researchers. The brains of nine people who died quickly after contracting Covid-19 were studied for this article published in the journal Brain.
They did not discover traces of coronavirus in the cortex but rather antibodies, causing damage to the walls of blood vessels. This discovery could explain some of the lasting effects of Covid-19, such as migraines, chronic fatigue, loss of taste and smell, sleep problems. This could open up avenues for future treatments. If the conclusion must be confirmed by a study on a larger sample, the strength of the immune response could partly explain the emergence of the long forms of Covid-19.