There was indeed a peak, reached in early April, at 140,000 cases per day on average. But since then, far from the rapid decline hoped for by the health authorities, the Covid-19 remains in France at a very high level. More than 190,000 new contaminations were noted for the day on Tuesday, leaving said average above 133,000 daily cases.
The dynamic is not good and it is also observed in the hospital, where the number of patients continues to increase. Some 24,693 Covid-19 patients are in a healthcare establishment: this is 488 more than the day before and around 4,000 more in two weeks. Among these patients, 1,644 are treated in critical care, 55 more in one day, but only 150 more compared to the end of March. The BA.2 variant, from the Omicron family, is currently the most active on the territory.
Finally, 156 people died of Covid-19 in hospital in 24 hours, bringing the total to 143,625 deaths in France since the start of the pandemic.
Covid hospital update April 13, 2022
The Express
- A host of new variants detected
The hunt for variants continues around the world. And already, the BA.2, just dominant in France and responsible for a new surge in contamination, could have successors. BA.4 and BA.5 have been identified in Europe, Belgium, Denmark and the United Kingdom, but also in South Africa, countries which remain very active in sequencing. The South African virologist Tulio de Oliveira, however, reassured about their dangerousness, explaining that they were not responsible for any new wave in his country at the moment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also recently mentioned the new “X” family, composed in particular of the XD, XE, XF and XL strains. The so-called XD – responsible for around sixty cases in France – and XF are recombinant variants, drawing on the Delta variants and the BA.1 sub-variant. The XE would be the result of a subtle mixture of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 variants, indicates The Parisian.
It is the latter that is causing the most concern at the moment. Some 1,200 cases have been recorded in England. In a report dated April 8the British health authorities estimate that the contagiousness of this “sub-variant” of Omicron would be increased by 20% compared to BA.2.
- Shanghai still confined, Apple affected
China’s economic capital, populated by 25 million people, is currently facing the worst surge of Covid-19 since the outbreak began. The inhabitants have been practically all confined to their homes since the beginning of April. China’s health ministry reported nearly 28,000 new positive cases nationwide on Wednesday – including more than 26,000 in Shanghai. The municipality of the latter decided to ease anti-Covid-19 restrictions in certain neighborhoods on Monday following growing dissatisfaction among residents with the very strict confinement in force so far. This caused food shortages and forced thousands of people into isolation in specialized centres.
Evolution of the number of cases in China
The Express
Concerned for the “well-being” of American citizens, the United States on Tuesday ordered non-essential employees of its consulate to leave Shanghai.
In this context, the Taiwanese company Pegatron, a major iPhone production subcontractor, said it had suspended operations in Shanghai and the neighboring city of Kunshan. A new blow for Apple. The US IT giant has already been hit by other disruptions to supplier assembly lines in recent months.
In March, another of its major subcontractors, the Taiwanese company Foxconn, suspended production in Shenzhen, the major metropolis in southern China specializing in new technologies, due to a containment of the city. More broadly, imports from China fell 0.1% year-on-year in March, a sharp drop due, in particular, to Covid.
- Italy: According to a study, vaccination prevented 150,000 deaths
Between December 27, 2020 and January 31, 2022, Italy’s vaccination campaign against Covid-19 prevented around 150,000 deaths, the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) estimated in a study published on Wednesday. . Vaccination has also prevented eight million additional cases of Covid-19, more than 500,000 hospitalizations and more than 55,000 cases in intensive care, according to the same source.