New wave of Covid-19 in South Africa. The country, which has known a lull in recent months, is officially the most affected on the continent by the virus. “The 5th wave has arrived. Take care of yourself”, warned on Twitter the genomic research center led by virologist Tulio de Oliveira, who became famous for spotting the Beta and Omicron variants.
The number of new infections in the past 24 hours is still up from the past few days, with 5,062 cases, 15 deaths and 83 hospitalizations, according to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD). The figures recorded in recent days are the highest in almost three months and up sharply from two weeks ago. Last week, the Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla, had already expressed his “concern”.
- WHO warns of drop in tests
The sudden drop in Covid-19 screening activities around the world is forcing the World Health Organization (WHO) to fly “blind” in the face of a virus that is still raging and continues to evolve, lamented the proceedings on Tuesday. “Globally, reported cases and deaths (…) continue to decline, which is very encouraging. Last week, just over 15,000 deaths were reported to WHO, the highest weekly total low since March 2020,” however, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added at a press conference in Geneva.
The latter urged caution because for lack of tests the WHO receives less information on transmission and sequencing. This situation “makes us increasingly blind to the patterns of transmission and evolution” of the virus, he said, calling on all countries to continue to monitor the disease. Bill Rodriguez, the director general of FIND (Global Alliance for Diagnostics), an organization that collaborates with the WHO, also denounced the decision taken by various governments around the world to “let their guard down” in the face of the virus.
“Over the past four months, right in the middle (of the Omicron variant), as East Asian cities go into lockdown and vaccination rates stagnate, testing rates have dropped by 70-90% in the whole world,” he pointed out. And this despite the fact that screening capabilities have never been greater.
- The number of hospitalizations down slightly in France
The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 in France was down slightly from the day before and the previous Tuesday according to figures released Tuesday by health authorities. Hospitals had 24,703 patients with Covid-19 compared to 24,980 on Monday and 25,465 a week ago.
Public Health France reports Tuesday 97,498 cases of contamination with the SARS-CoV2 virus and the average of infections over the last seven days, which smooths out the statistical jolts, stands at 85,588 against 93,238 a week ago. 54.32 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine (80.6% of the total population) and 53.42 million are fully vaccinated (79.2% of the total population). The epidemic has caused the death of 167 people in 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths in France to 145,257 in more than two years.
- In February, nearly 60% of Americans contracted the virus
In February 2022, at least 58% of the American population had contracted Covid since the start of the pandemic according to a study by the American Centers for Disease Prevention and Control published on Tuesday and based on an examination of antibodies. This percentage is equivalent to nearly 190 million people in the United States, a number much higher than the 80 million officially recorded cases, most of which are therefore undiagnosed, asymptomatic or not registered with the authorities.
According to this study, about 75% of the population under the age of 18 has contracted the virus, with a colossal jump in cases during the wave of the Omicron variant last winter, especially among children. The nationwide survey looked for the presence of antibodies against the nucleocapsid protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which the immune system only creates in response to contamination.
US Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday but is not considered to have been in “close” contact with President Joe Biden, her spokeswoman said. Asymptomatic, she will isolate herself and continue to work from her residence. The 79-year-old Democratic president tested negative for Covid-19 on Monday, according to the White House. Several members of the Biden administration such as Justice Minister Merrick Garland and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi have tested positive in recent weeks.