France is facing a fifth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic, pushing the government to take new measures. Follow here all the news related to the health situation in France or in the world.
9:16
The month of January will be “difficult in the hospital”, given the Covid-19 epidemic and “other pathologies”, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, warned on Monday on France Inter, saying not to see for the moment “slowing down” of the Omicron variant.
“The risk with Omicron is a risk of saturation of our hospitals, conventional hospital beds,” he warned. “Omicron is less dangerous” and “causes less acute respiratory distress, and the need for intensive care beds is less than with the previous variants”, but it can cause “oxygen requirements of three, four days and therefore one expects an influx of patients in conventional hospital beds, “said the minister.
7:01
US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin has contracted Covid-19, the Pentagon announced on Sunday, adding that he was suffering from “mild” symptoms and would remain in quarantine at home for the next five days.
In a statement released by his ministry, Austin said he was fully vaccinated, including with a third booster dose, “so the infection is much lighter than it would have been otherwise,” writes -he.
“Vaccines work and will remain a military medical requirement for our personnel,” added the Pentagon chief. “I continue to encourage everyone who is eligible for a booster dose to take it.”
6:34
The pupils are now back to school. In terms of health protocol, no big change to be expected for this risky return to school: level 3 (out of 4) is maintained in elementary schools, just like level 2 in middle and high schools, in order to reduce mixing. between classes and levels.
The only change: the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer has decided to strengthen the policy of “contact tracing”, which will subject students to three tests in four days if there is a positive in the class.
“What changes is that from now on, when the family takes the first test, they will receive two free self-tests in the pharmacy, so that the students can test themselves again at home on D + 2 and D + 4”, a indicated the minister, in an interview with Parisien Sunday evening.
