Coronavirus in the world: demonstrations and clashes in Europe, significant contamination threshold crossed in Germany

The pandemic has killed at least 2,702,004 people around the world since the start of the pandemic, according to a report established by AFP from official sources on Saturday at 11:00 GMT.

The United States is the country with the most deaths (541,907), followed by Brazil (292,752), Mexico (197,219), India (159,558) and the United Kingdom (126,026).

These figures, which are based on daily reports from health authorities without including reassessments based on statistical bases, are generally underestimated.

425 million doses

More than 425 million doses of anti-Covid vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to a count made by AFP from official sources on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. GMT.

At least 162 countries or territories, which are home to 93% of humanity, have started their vaccination campaign. But to date, 58% of the doses administered have been in “high income” countries (as defined by the World Bank), where only 16% of the world’s population live.

Infections in Germany exceed significant threshold

In Germany, the number of coronavirus infections has exceeded the threshold of 100 contaminations per 100,000 inhabitants over a period of seven days, 103.9 precisely. A number that will be at the center of Monday’s discussions between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the minister-presidents of the Länder on possible new corona measures. Germany is currently experiencing a third wave of cases, a slow vaccination campaign and growing fed up with the population.

The number of new infections in Germany reached 13,733 on Sunday, up from 10,790 last Sunday. In 24 hours, 99 people also died from the virus, compared to 70 the previous week.

Protests against restrictions

Protests gathered on Saturday several thousand people in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia, Poland, France and Great Britain, as well as in Canada to denounce the “dictatorship” of health restrictions against the pandemic and clashes broke out with the police in the German city of Cassel.

EU threatens AstraZeneca

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday threatened to block exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine if the European Union does not receive its deliveries first.

“We have the option to ban any planned export (…) Respect your contract with Europe before starting to deliver to other countries,” she said.

The EU contract with AstraZeneca provides for the delivery of doses produced both within the EU and to the UK. “However, we have not received anything from the British, while we provide them,” argued Ursula von der Leyen, adding that the EU had sent a “formal letter” to complain to the Swedish-British pharmaceutical group. .

French and Poles confined

A third of the French, including the 12 million inhabitants of the Paris region, woke up on Saturday in a light confinement regime, a measure planned for four weeks, more flexible and less restrictive than in March 2020.

Unlike the first two confinements, the inhabitants of the areas concerned will be able to leave “without any time limit”, but “within a radius limited to 10 kilometers”. A large part of the businesses will also be closed.

Poland also entered partial containment on Saturday, for a period of three weeks.

No spectators from abroad at the Olympics

There will be no overseas spectators at the Tokyo Olympics this summer due to significant health risks, Olympic officials and Japanese authorities said after an online meeting on Saturday.