Global pandemic update

French press agency Posted on Monday, November 15, 2021 at 3:05 AM

New Measures, New Reports, and Highlights: An update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.

– Austria: Unvaccinated Unvaccinated from Monday –

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced on Monday the start of a lockdown for people who have not been vaccinated or who have not recently contracted Covid-19, the first in the European Union to stop the record number of new cases.

The persons concerned have no right to leave their homes except for shopping, playing sports or providing medical care. This procedure is applied from the age of 12 and unannounced examinations are carried out.

About 65% of the population has a full vaccination schedule, a figure lower than the European average of 67%.

– Germany: Towards a collective return to remote work –

Germany is preparing for a massive return to remote work, under a law AFP consulted on Sunday, in an effort to contain another wave of the pandemic.

The reintroduction of the homework rule, which was lifted in early July, comes as Germany faces an alarming resurgence of the pandemic.

With 289 cases per 100,000 people, the infection rate reached a new record in Europe’s most populous country on Sunday.

– Israel vaccinates children aged 5-11 –

After the United States, Israel gave the green light on Sunday to vaccinate children aged 5-11 with doses of Pfizer/BioNtech in hopes of containing the Covid-19 pandemic.

– Morocco strengthens border controls –

Morocco, a major tourist country, has decided to strengthen border controls due to the increase in pollution cases in Europe.

In addition to the mandatory health permits and negative PCR tests, upon arrival in Morocco, a double check will be carried out by thermal cameras and electronic thermometers, as well as an antigen test.

These measures concern all people who come from the so-called “B-List” countries, namely France and several EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom, Algeria and Tunisia.

– Postponement of the obligation to vaccinate in Martinique –

In response to opposition from hospital unions, the French government has decided to postpone the vaccination obligation for healthcare providers until December 31 on the island of Martinique in the French West Indies.

Free public testing will also be conducted until this date, which coincides with the end of the health emergency in this outdoor department.

– Nearly 5.1 million dead –

The epidemic has claimed nearly 5.1 million lives worldwide since the World Health Organization office in China reported the outbreak in late December 2019, according to a statistic that AFP calculated from official sources mid-Sunday.

The United States is the country with the most deaths (763,064), ahead of Brazil (611,283), India (463,530), Mexico (291,089) and Russia (255,386).

Taking into account the increase in deaths directly and indirectly related to Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the epidemic toll could be two to three times higher than officially determined.