France is facing a wave of the Omicron variant, pushing the government to take new measures, in particular on the vaccination pass, teleworking, or even wearing a mask outdoors. Follow all the news related to Covid-19 in France and around the world.
2:30 p.m.
Initially scheduled for application at the end of January, the bill relating to the vaccine pass is examined by the Law Commission at the Palais Bourbon on Wednesday, after a hearing at 2:30 p.m. with the Minister of Health Olivier Véran.
The text will then be discussed in public session in the hemicycle of the Palais Bourbon from Monday and in the Senate from Wednesday January 5 for entry into force scheduled for January 15.
2:20 p.m.
The regional prefect of Réunion, Jacques Billant, announced on Wednesday the establishment of a curfew on the island from Saturday evening from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., for three weeks, due to the degradation of the health situation caused by the outbreak of the Omicron variant.
“We must act to curb the exponential circulation of the virus in the island since the beginning of the week”, explained the prefect during a press conference to justify the implementation of new restrictive measures.
2:00 p.m.
The parents of a 10-year-old girl, vaccinated by mistake with a half-dose of Moderna intended for adults in Avranches (Manche), have filed a complaint, we learned Wednesday from corroborating sources.
“A complaint was filed by the father for these facts”, told AFP the prosecutor of the Republic of Coutances Cyril Lacombe, confirming information from the local press.
12:47
Up to 90% of Covid-19 patients admitted to intensive care in the United Kingdom have not received a vaccine booster dose, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, once again ruling out any tightening of restrictions before the New Year.
11:24
The world has reached new contamination records over the past week, with more than 935,000 cases of Covid-19 detected every day on average from December 22 to 28, according to an AFP count made from official reports.
These figures, the highest since the start of the pandemic at the end of 2019, are based on the reports communicated daily by the health authorities in each country. A large proportion of the less serious or asymptomatic cases remain undetected despite the intensification of screening in many countries since the start of the pandemic. In addition, testing policies differ from country to country.
09h00
Frédérique Vidal, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, announces on Twitter that the exams at the beginning of the year at the university will take place in person.
As of November, we have considered several protocols for the exams. Almost all establishments have scheduled face-to-face exams, and plan to organize replacement sessions for students infected with Covid or contact cases.
– Frédérique Vidal (@VidalFrederique) December 29, 2021
08:37
Frenchman Benoît Paire announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 again, which could call into question his participation in the Australian Open, and expressed his fed up with the situation.
twenty five past eight
Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot assured that culture was not “sacrificed” after the new measures to fight the coronavirus, and that the government would continue to help the sector.
07:58
The discos will remain closed for three additional weeks, from January 3, announces the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne.
6:00 am
A “race against the clock” against Omicron: barely two weeks after the government’s announcement of wanting to transform the health pass into a vaccination pass, the bill arrives this Wednesday in committee at the National Assembly, fifteen days before its expected entry into force.
The government has accelerated its schedule, despite some criticism from the opposition: initially scheduled for application at the end of January, the text will be examined by the Law Commission at the Palais Bourbon on Wednesday, after a hearing at 2:30 p.m. with Minister of Health Olivier Véran. The text will then be discussed in the Senate Chamber from January 5 and its entry into force is scheduled for January 15.
00h00
Antigenic screening tests for Covid-19, which have the advantage of delivering a result in just a few minutes, are less sensitive to the Omicron variant than to previous variants, US health authorities warned on Tuesday. This means that these tests are more likely to indicate a negative result despite an infection – the notorious false negatives – if a person is infected with Omicron. “Preliminary data suggests that antigenic tests detect the Omicron variant well, but with reduced sensitivity,” the US Medicines Agency (FDA) said in a statement.
