Covid-19: the Constitutional Council censors access to the vaccination status of students in the health vigilance law

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The pandemic has caused more than 5 million deaths worldwide, but this figure could be two to three times higher taking into account the indirect consequences of the pandemic.

0By Julie Cloris November 9, 2021 at 6:46 a.m., modified on November 9, 2021 at 6:57 p.m.

The essential

Summary of the day's events:

6:43 p.m. Live is over for today . Thank you for following Tuesday's news with us. A very good night to you all. You can follow Emmanuel Macron's announcements at 8 p.m. on Le Parisien live. And meet here tomorrow to follow the evolution of the pandemic and its consequences.

5:50 p.m. The WHO is concerned about a shortage of syringes – one to two billion could be missing – if their production does not follow that of doses of vaccines against Covid-19. More than 7.25 billion doses of vaccine against Covid-19 have been administered worldwide, according to an AFP count, almost double the number of usual vaccinations carried out each year, boosting the need. in syringes.

According to Lisa Hedman, WHO's senior adviser on access to medicines and health products, a lack of syringes could cause a delay in these routine vaccinations and therefore, have an impact on public health "for years to come. » if a generation of young people does not receive normal childhood vaccines. It could also result in the reuse, which is not recommended, of syringes and needles, which are supposed to be single-use for hygiene reasons.

5:45 p.m. Germany is hit hard by a new epidemic wave. Our neighbor across the Rhine is facing an outbreak of contamination. 26,000 Covid-19 positive cases are recorded there every day on average, which corresponds to an incidence rate of more than 200. This is the first time since the start of the pandemic that this threshold has been reached. Our decryption.

5:06 p.m. The Elders approve the health vigilance bill , which notably allows the government to use the health pass until July 31, 2022, but they censor access to the vaccination status of students, which carries a “disproportionate attack on the right to respect of privacy”.

The Constitutional Council considers that the purpose of access to the vaccination status of pupils by school directors is not precise enough. Moreover, this rejected measure did not guarantee medical secrecy and posed problems of consent, according to the Elders.

On the other hand, they considered that maintaining the pass until the summer operated “a balanced reconciliation” between the objective of protecting health and respecting rights and freedoms.

The Elders also censored several authorizations to legislate by ordinances, provided for in the bill, particularly in the area of ​​labor law. They noted that these provisions were not adopted at the request of the government but via parliamentary amendments, contrary to what the Constitution provides.

4:48 p.m. The government confirms to suspend the use of Moderna in people under 30, " whether it is a primary vaccination or a booster vaccination", can we read in a press release from the Directorate General of Health.

The High Authority for Health had advised against the use of this vaccine yesterday, due to a slightly increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis for this population. Pfizer will be privileged. "This opinion must be taken into account now," said the Ministry of Health. However, here is why you should not worry if you have received this molecule.

4:44 p.m. The IMF raises to 6.75% its growth forecast in 2021 for France. The Washington-based institution had previously anticipated GDP growth of 6.3% over the year as a whole, while the French government is currently counting on 6.25%.

4:36 p.m. Were Emmanuel Macron's announcements released by mistake? The source code used by the TousAntiCovid application has been modified, which may suggest that the health pass would be conditioned on a booster dose for people aged 65 and over. “This in no way prejudges the announcements that will be made this evening,” replies the Secretary of State for Digital, Cédric O. Details in our article.

4:02 p.m. Covid-19 contributed to 16% more deaths in 2020 and in the first half of 2021, in the OECD zone, announces the organization, on the basis of its annual Health Panorama report, the 2021 edition of which has just been published. to be published. Life expectancy has fallen in 24 of the 30 countries studied. The United States and Spain suffer the greatest decline, with 1.6 years and 1.5 years less on average.

3:40 p.m. Levels of anxiety and depression have more than doubled in OECD countries, compared to before the health crisis, according to a study by the international organization, which judges the impact of the pandemic on the Mental Health. Data from 30 member countries were analyzed. France is however less affected than Sweden, Mexico or the USA.

3:26 p.m. Positive for Covid-19, rugby player Joe Marler will not play England - Australia , test match scheduled for Saturday at Twickenham. The English prop was scouted yesterday. He was placed in solitary confinement for 10 days, in accordance with government recommendations. All players and staff members of the England team were subjected to tests in stride, the results of which are expected soon.

3 p.m. The British government introduces the vaccination obligation for all caregivers from April 1. After a consultation on the issue, “I have come to the conclusion that everyone who works for the NHS”, the public health service, “will have to be vaccinated”, Health Minister Sajid Javid told Parliament. Those who do not work in contact with patients or cannot be vaccinated for health reasons will be exempted. Details in our article.

2:50 p.m. Emmanuel Macron makes an appointment with the French. With a very brief message on Twitter, the President of the Republic is trying to mobilize before his speech this evening: "My dear compatriots, I'll meet you here at 8 p.m.," he wrote. A way of remembering that his speech will be broadcast on Twitter, in addition to radio and television broadcasts.

2:44 p.m. The French prepare for the recall. The Doctolib platform announces a new record day for reservations of the third dose of vaccine against Covid-19. 98,000 French people reserved their place yesterday for this injection, which should prolong and revive immunity. This is double the average of recent weeks.

2:16 p.m. Kimmich, Musiala, Gnabry and Adeyemi removed from the group before Germany - Liechtenstein. The director of the German Football Federation Oliver Bierhoff reveals the names of the four players of the German national team who have been placed in solitary confinement. They are considered as contact cases, after central defender Niklas Süle tested positive for Covid-19.

Kimmich, a centerpiece of the Mannschaft who wore the captain's armband twice in September in the absence of Manuel Neuer, had sparked a heated debate in the country last month, justifying his non-vaccination by “personal concerns”. Coach Hansi Flick calls three reinforcement players for the two upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifying matches for the German selection, already assured of access to the rest of the competition.

2:05 p.m. In the Netherlands, hospitals are sounding the alarm. Five establishments in the province of Limburg, bordering Belgium and Germany, warned the government that they could no longer cope with the arrival of new patients. “We are heading straight for a blockage of health care and the whole system is at a standstill,” the staff wrote in an open letter. They demand that the booster vaccination campaign for vulnerable people and healthcare workers be launched now and not next month.

In two weeks, the average of new daily contaminations has gone from 3,088 to 6,112 per 100,000 inhabitants, pushing the interim Dutch government to reimpose masks in places open to the public.

1:57 p.m. Romanian hospitals overwhelmed. In Bucharest, for lack of space in the morgue, the bodies of the deceased are stored in corridors, wrapped in black plastic bags. A country of 19 million people, Romania currently has one of the highest death rates in Europe. “A village disappears every day in Romania,” exclaimed Dr. Catalin Cirstoiu, director of the University Emergency Hospital in Bucharest. “How about in a week or a month? From a larger village? Or a city? Where will we stop? “We are exhausted financially, physically and psychologically,” he laments again. “All of this is due to one and the same thing: the inability of the population to understand that they should be vaccinated”.

1:50 p.m. In Russia bis. The national coronavirus task force reported that since late October it had recorded an average of 1,100 deaths and 40,000 infections per day. In the past 24 hours, 1,211 people have died from Covid in Russia.

1:35 p.m. Global balance sheet. The pandemic has killed more than 5,053,909 people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP at the end of the morning based on daily statistics from countries. It is still in the United States that we deplore the most deaths, 755,643, ahead of Brazil (609,573) India (461,389), Mexico (289,811) and Russia (249,215).

1:20 p.m. The UK government could force all healthcare workers to get vaccinated. Health Minister Sajid Javid will speak at 3 p.m. French time in the House of Commons. According to the British press, he could require all employees of the NHS, the United Kingdom's public health system, to be fully vaccinated by spring. To date, only frontline caregivers are required to do so.

1:10 p.m. The US reserves Molnupiravir. Merck & Co Inc and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics have just announced that the US government has exercised an option for 1 billion dollars (863 million euros) to purchase 1.4 million additional treatments of their Molnupiravir pill which can halve the risk of death or hospitalization for those most at risk. With this purchase, the United States will have 3.1 million treatments as soon as it is authorized. Last week, Britain became the first country in the world to allow the use of capsules.

Merck plans to produce 10 million doses of the treatment by the end of the year, and at least 20 million in 2022.

12:50 p.m. In Russia. The country continues to record the highest daily death toll in the world. 1,211 people have died since yesterday from Covid.

12:30 p.m. Singapore attacks on the wallet. As The New York Times reports, the Singapore government is announcing that people who are not vaccinated by choice will have to pay for all medical costs and treatment themselves if they contract Covid-19. The measure will apply from December 8. These patients will still be able to use private insurance to be reimbursed.

12:20 p.m. The government wants to rely on the Liberals and the clinics. Faced with the resumption of Covid-19 contamination, but also bronchiolitis and closed hospital beds, Olivier Véran wants private clinics and doctors to “take their part” to ensure continuity of care “at the end of year ". The Minister of Health therefore asks the regional health agencies to organize this permanence.

12:05 p.m. The Covid invites itself into the world of German football. Five players from the German football team are in quarantine because one of them is positive for Covid-19. If the federation did not wish to reveal the name of the concerned, the daily Bild affirms that it is the central defender of Bayern Munich, Niklas Süle. Even if it is already qualified for the World Cup-2022, Germany must face Liechtenstein on November 11 and will travel to Armenia three days later.

11:55 a.m. In eleven months, 7 billion vaccines. The first fully tested vaccine was injected on December 8, 2020 in the UK. Since then, more than 7 billion doses have been inoculated in at least 218 countries and territories, mainly in developed economies.

11:45 a.m. With the pandemic, the luxury yacht market is exploding . Sales of luxury vessels over 30m jumped more than 8% in the first nine months of the year compared to pre-pandemic, according to industry publication the Superyacht Group, a rise that has not been observed for twelve years, abounds the broker Fraser Yachts. More than 200 new buildings touched water for the first time this year between January and September, compared to 165 for the same period in 2019, before the outbreak of the virus. A luxury yacht can cost anywhere from $10 million for a used model to $600 million for a new “full options” one.

11:30 a.m. Raab clumsily defends Boris Johnson. Dominic Raab, Britain's Deputy Prime Minister, has defended Boris Johnson, who appeared at times without a mask during a visit to Exham Hospital yesterday, which drew widespread criticism. “In any clinical setting, you follow the rules that apply there,” Raab said on Times radio. However, the rules of the establishment are strictly recalled everywhere and on its website: “wear a mask when you enter the hospital” is the second rule mentioned, along with hand washing.

11:15 a.m. 9% of Boeing employees have applied for a vaccine exemption. The American aircraft manufacturer had estimated that 2% of its American personnel would do so. According to three sources interviewed by Reuters, more than 10,000 people, possibly 11,300, have applied for the exemption on religious grounds, and another thousand on medical grounds.

To meet the Biden administration's requirements on companies working for the federal government, while protecting its staff, Boeing has internally requested that employees whose request has been granted wear a mask, keep their distance from other personnel and undergo regular screening tests.

11:00. Soon a generic Molnupiravir. Bangladeshi company Beximco Pharmaceuticals will start selling a generic version of the antiviral pill from Merck & Co and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. It will be the world's first generic version of Molnupiravir, which was approved last week by the United Kingdom and is awaiting a response from the United States and the European Union.

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10:48 a.m. United Airlines wins against its employees in court. An American judge ruled in favor, late last night, of the airline which was attacked by employees for having offered them unpaid leave in order to avoid submitting to the vaccination obligation. “It is not for the court to decide whether United's vaccination requirement is bad policy,” said Mark Pittman, a Texas judge. He decided on a specific point: whether it was legal for United Airlines to offer leave, as long as necessary, but unpaid, to employees who benefit from an exemption from vaccination for religious or medical reasons. Judge Pittman considered that the elements were insufficient to demonstrate the “imminent and irreparable harm” that these employees say they suffer.

United Airlines had indicated that of the approximately 67,000 employees of the company, approximately 2,000 requested an exemption, religious for two thirds, medical for a third.

10:30 a.m. 833 Covid deaths in Ukraine. In 24 hours, it is unfortunately a record. The previous one, of 793 deaths, dates back only to Saturday. The data also show that 18,988 new contaminations have been identified.

10:15 a.m. India will again participate in Covax. To carry out its own vaccine campaign, the country had stopped in April its exports of Covishield, a licensed version of the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world. 240 million doses are now produced each month and India could therefore again participate in the solidarity program for the poorest countries.

10:05 a.m. At the Élysée, the Covid Defense Council has begun.

10 hours. A critical look at Chinese vaccines, from Hong Kong. Renowned virologist, Guan Yi, professor at the University of Hong Kong, called, in an interview with the Phoenix television channel, Chinese manufacturers to regularly communicate their data on their vaccines. China has so far conditionally approved five vaccines whose efficacy is estimated at between 50% and 82%, below the serums manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

9:55 a.m. 80 to 100,000 English caregivers are not vaccinated. This is the figure given by Chris Hopson, Director General of Public Health Facilities, on BBC Radio 4. As well as the risk to themselves, and of these employees infesting patients, visitors or colleagues, there is also, a he said, a risk for the continuity of care if a large number of these unvaccinated were to leave their service. "That's why we've been very clear that we want the government to work closely with us to maximize the number of people who voluntarily get vaccinated before the deadline," he said.

9:40 a.m. In the USA, 24% of Covid cases are children. Jean-Michel Blanquer argued yesterday that American children were more affected than in France given their obesity rate. Last week, the United States recorded 107,000 pediatric cases, after eight consecutive weeks of declines, according to a weekly report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Association of Children's Hospitals.

Last week, children accounted for 24% of cases while children make up 22.2% of the US population. About 45.8% of adolescents aged 12-17 have been fully immunized.

9:30 a.m. In India. The Union's daily bulletin reports 10,126 contaminations in 24 hours, the lowest figure for 266 days - knowing that India tests its population very little - and 332 deaths.

9:20 a.m. In Pakistan. According to the ANI agency, the authorities recorded 400 new contaminations in 24 hours, out of 42,373 tests carried out, and 11 deaths.

9:10 a.m. Singapore postpones an execution. The death sentence of a mentally handicapped Malaysian convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore has been postponed because he has Covid. Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, 33, was arrested in 2009 for transporting 43g of heroin, the equivalent of three tablespoons, to Singapore where he was convicted the following year. The Southeast Asian country's high court agreed on Monday to stay his execution pending the outcome of an appeal by his lawyers, who say his hanging would be unconstitutional. The hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, the day before the execution, she was rescheduled due to her state of health.

9 hours. The German economy is suffering from shortages. German exports fell by 0.7% in September, for the second consecutive month, while imports practically stagnated (+0.1%), indicates the statistics office. The forecasts, however, envisaged better. "Supply bottlenecks are weighing on production, which in turn is holding back exports," said Bankhaus Lampe economist Alexander Krueger, adding that this trend is likely to continue for the rest of the year.

The German trade surplus stood at 13.2 billion euros in September; before the pandemic it often exceeded 20 billion euros each month.

8:50 a.m. In China. Health authorities have detected 43 cases in the past 24 hours nationwide, but the strict policy is maintained. In Beijing, residents are advised not to leave the capital unless absolutely necessary.

8:40 a.m. The Covid-19 pandemic has “revived” anti-Semitic discourse. “Antisemitism, especially on the internet, has increased during the pandemic,” writes the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), headquartered in Vienna, in a report based on official statistics and the elements collected by civil organizations. France recorded 339 incidents, Germany recorded 2,351, "the highest over the period 2010-2020".

In Germany, the network of RIAS associations thus noted that 44% of anti-Semitic incidents recorded were “associated with the coronavirus”. In the Czech Republic, the rise is fueled by the conspiratorial sphere, rising against vaccines and restrictions. In many countries, “the overwhelming majority of incidents go unreported”, and in others, such as Hungary and Portugal, there are no official figures.

8:25 a.m. Bounty hunter. The Chinese city of Heihe (pronounced: "Re-reu"), separated from Russia by the Amur River, offers 100,000 yuan (13,500 euros) as a reward to anyone who gives them information on the origin of an epidemic outbreak local to coronavirus. This measure is part of the "people's war" on the virus launched by the city of 1.5 million inhabitants after having detected several dozen cases in recent days. Local authorities are particularly concerned about a risk of transmission of the virus from Russia by smugglers, poachers or cross-border fishermen.

8:10 a.m. Diary. It is at 9:45 a.m. that the Covid Defense Council is held at the Élysée, around Emmanuel Macron.

8:05 a.m. Australia licenses AstraZeneca's antibody cocktail. It is the first country to do so. The Therapeutic Goods Administration said this morning it last week granted the British-Swedish drugmaker provisional clearance for its antibody cocktail, Evusheld. The first protective injection other than Covid vaccines has already undergone real-time review in Europe and is awaiting emergency clearance in the United States. Evusheld is given as a treatment within a week of the first symptoms appearing.

7:55 a.m. Lacombe on the vaccination of 5-11 year olds. “You really have to ask yourself the question: what is the benefit for society, collectively, of vaccinating children? For them, it's going back to school, taking off the mask, stopping the test continuously. Studies have been seriously carried out ”, pleads Professor Lacombe on France Inter.

7:50 a.m. Lacombe for a 3rd general dose. "We must generalize the third dose to everyone," said Professor Karine Lacombe, infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist, head of the infectious diseases department at Saint-Antoine Hospital, on France Inter. Over time, the antibodies decrease, she argues, rather agree that the 3rd dose conditions obtaining the health pass.

7:30 a.m. Record of deaths in Bulgaria. 334 people died in 24 hours, a number never reached since the start of the pandemic. More than 8,500 people have been hospitalized, including 734 in intensive care units, the data shows.

Battling a fourth wave, the EU's least vaccinated country (30% of adults) last month introduced a health pass for entry into most indoor spaces in a bid to contain the spread of infection and to speed up vaccinations in the country, where only 30% of adults are fully vaccinated.

7:15 a.m. In Israel, a closed meeting on the vaccination of children. After the green light given by the US Food and Drug Administration for the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in children aged 5 to 11, the Israeli Ministry of Health is to organize a decisive discussion between experts on the subject tomorrow. The meeting was to be filmed and broadcast live, it will be held behind closed doors due to the aggressiveness of some antivax. Police say threats against health ministry officials have increased and at least one senior health official has been taken into protective custody.

6:55 a.m. The risks of non-vaccination. Unvaccinated people are sixteen times more likely to end up in intensive care units or die from Covid-19, Australian health authorities say in a report based on data from the state health department of New York. -South Wales. According to their statistics, 11% of the 412 people who died from the Delta variant between the beginning of June and the beginning of October were fully vaccinated. The average age of those who died was 82.

6:40 a.m. Demonstration in Wellington. New Zealand had to close all but two entrances to its parliament on Tuesday morning as thousands of people gathered to protest against the vaccination obligation and against the measures taken by the government to control the pandemic. The demonstrators, mostly unmasked, demanded an end to restrictions and a return to "freedom". “Kiwis are not lab rats,” read one sign as others repeated anti-media Donald Trump phrases.

6:30 a.m. Mathematics of a crisis. This is the ninth time that the President of the Republic has spoken since his famous "we are at war" which had set the date of the first confinement in France.

6:20 a.m. The First Lady defends the vaccination of children. The wife of the President of the United States Jill Biden, a university professor, went to a school to promote the vaccination of 5-11 year olds. Yesterday, the Biden administration wrote to all elementary school principals across the country asking them to relay “reliable” information to influence parents.

6:10 a.m. The WHO worries about Romania. The World Health Organization has urged Romanians to get vaccinated against Covid-19 to avoid further overloading of hospitals. With barely a third of its 19 million inhabitants having received both doses of the vaccine, Romania has one of the lowest rates in the European Union (EU).

6 hours. Good awakening. Welcome to this live to regularly update on the news of the pandemic and its consequences.

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