the United States breaks the 80,000 mark

The coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 283,978 people worldwide since its appearance in December in China, according to a report established by Agence France-presse (AFP) from official sources Monday, May 11 at 9 p.m. from Paris).

More than 4,148,350 cases of infection have been officially diagnosed in 195 countries and territories since the start of the epidemic. This number of diagnosed cases, however, only reflects a fraction of the actual number of infections, with a large number of countries only testing cases requiring hospital care. Among these cases, at least 1,396,200 are now considered cured.

The country most affected in terms of number of deaths and cases, the United States crossed the 80,000 death mark on Monday. This is followed by the United Kingdom with 32,065 deaths for 223,060 cases, Italy with 30,739 deaths (219,814 cases) and Spain with 26,744 deaths (227,436 cases).

For its part, China reported on Tuesday a single new case of contamination from Covid-19, of imported origin, a ebb in the contagion after a rebound of around 30 cases recorded in two days.

• More than 80,000 deaths in the United States

In the United States, the 80,000 death mark has been crossed. That of 100,000 deaths could be reached by early June, according to an average of several epidemiological models carried out by researchers at the University of Massachusetts.

New York City alone accounts for a quarter of the deaths, with almost 20,000 deaths. And this assessment could be underestimated by several thousand, warned Monday the American Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).

Sign of an epidemic difficult to control, the coronavirus appeared in the White House, where a close collaborator of the vice-president Mike Pence and a soldier in the service of Donald Trump were tested positive at the end of last week. The President of the United States raised the possibility of limiting his contacts with his vice-president.

• Lifting restrictions at multiple speeds

The World Health Organization (WHO) has once again called to exercise “Extreme vigilance” when lifting restrictions. “If the disease persists at a low level in countries that do not have the capacity to study the outbreaks, to identify them, there is always the risk that the disease will restart”, warned its health emergency manager Michael Ryan.

In this context, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, himself a survivor of the disease, has extended at least until 1^er June containment of United Kingdom. However, he presented on Monday a progressive deconfinement plan granting more possibilities for outings, on condition of maintaining his distances and staying with people from the same household.

In Spain, to limit the risk of spread, only part of the country was deconfigured on Monday. Several large cities, such as Madrid and Barcelona, ​​remain subject to severe restrictions.

All mosques in Iran will reopen on Tuesday as part of the further easing of restrictions, official IRIB news agency reported on Monday. The government’s decision comes at a time when parts of the country are experiencing an increase in new daily infections.

President Senegalese Macky Sall has announced a relaxation of the restriction measures, starting with a reduction in the night curfew from Tuesday and the reopening of places of worship.

Conversely, in Turkey, a new four-day containment (from Saturday) has been implemented.

• Over 150 Europeans repatriated from Panama and Honduras

More than 150 Europeans, who were stranded in Panama and Honduras, were repatriated on Monday on a flight to Paris chartered by France. The French Ambassador to Panama, Brice Roquefeuil, welcomed “A huge coordination effort” with its European Union partners to transport fifty-nine French, twenty-seven Spaniards, eighteen Germans, twelve Italians and ten Dutch, among other nationalities represented.

The project was originally to repatriate 300 people of twenty-two European nationalities, but the regulations in force in France forced to divide the quota in two to respect the recommended distance between passengers. The French embassy in Panama therefore announced a second flight on Wednesday.

• Coronavirus misinformation punished in Bolivia

The Bolivian interim government has imposed criminal penalties of up to 10 years in prison for any misinformation about the coronavirus. With this decree, “Citizens who try on social networks to create confusion, to have a bad approach to information, will have to be careful”said Minister of the Presidency Yerko Nunez on Monday.

The new provisions target “Those who want to oppose and divide the Bolivians”said Mr. Nunez. Bolivian press associations on Monday demanded the removal of the decree, which they say introduces “A severe and unconstitutional restriction by penalizing the fundamental right to freedom of expression”.

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