More than two years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is composing with Omicron. Since the end of 2021, this variant of the disease and its variations have been shown to be particularly contagious. But faced with its lesser gravity, the majority of countries have chosen to maintain the end of health restrictions. Spain, for example, has decided to manage this coronavirus from now on in the same way as an endemic disease with seasonal peaks, as it does for the flu. Le Parisien takes stock this Sunday of the latest significant information relating to Covid-19.
A total never reached in China since 2020
A total of 13,146 cases of Covid-19 were identified this Sunday in China. This is the highest figure since the peak of the first wave in early 2020, health authorities announce. Among these infections, “1455 patients have symptoms”. “11,691 are asymptomatic” and “no new deaths have been reported”, details the National Health Commission, while the Omicron variant has spread to more than a dozen provinces.
Almost all of the 25 million inhabitants of Shanghai, the economic capital of China, have also been confined since Saturday. The city has become in recent days the epicenter of a new wave of contamination linked to Omicron. In addition, tens of millions of Chinese are confined to the northeast of the country, the cradle of the automotive industry.
China, where the disease was first detected in late 2019, is one of the last countries in the world to practice a “zero Covid” policy. This aims to prevent the appearance of new cases by means of draconian confinements, mass tests, systematic isolation of infected people and the virtual closure of borders.
A peak probably crossed in France
The number of daily infections declared for Covid-19 remains high in France. But a new peak may have been reached. According to the last report in 24 hours, Saturday, 132,114 contaminations were recorded. Last week, the total was 139,517. As our journalist Nicolas Berrod points out, this is the first time in a month, on March 4 precisely, that the one-week comparison shows a drop in infections. This is 5.3%.
This decrease is part of a trend observed for several days where the percentage increase in cases over a week became increasingly weak. He recalls that “if the evolution remains negative for several days in a row, we can say that a peak has been reached”.
Over a full week, the daily average of new infections is 139,455 positive cases. This is an increase of 13%, a percentage which also tends to gradually decrease. Finally, more than 22,000 people are hospitalized with the disease. Regarding critical care patients, there are more than 1,500 in intensive care.
Declining incidence and infections in Germany
Germany is also seeing a gradual improvement in the situation after a spike in cases during the last weeks of winter. After exceeding 252,000 daily contaminations on March 26, they fell back below the 200,000 mark with 185,000 cases in the latest assessment. The incidence rate, which logically peaked on March 26 also with 1,758 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, is also down. It now shows 1,457 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
In Brazil, end of tests for vaccinated travelers
This is one more sign of the gradual improvement of the situation and of a new approach to the disease. Brazil is lifting some health restrictions for vaccinated international travelers. They no longer need to test negative and complete a lengthy health questionnaire.
Proof of vaccination is sufficient to enter the country. For Brazilians or foreigners residing in Brazil, this proof of vaccination will not be necessary. For non-vaccinated travellers, a negative Covid-19 screening test carried out one day before departure must be presented, but the 14-day quarantine requirement is removed.