PARIS, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in France spiked by 22,086 over the past 24 hours and a further 612 patients succumbed to the disease, according to official data released on Tuesday. The cumulative total of infection cases rose to 3,079,943, and fatalities stood at 74,106, the seventh-highest in the world, the data showed. A total of 27,041 COVID-19 patients remained hospitalized, including 3,081 serious cases, up by 117 and 40 respectively. The two figures, key gauges to evaluate hospitals ability to deal with the outbreak, increased for the third day in a row. As of Tuesday, 1,184,510 people have received the first dose of vaccine against the coronavirus, according to the Health Ministry.
LJUBLJANA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) Kindergartens and the first three grades of primary school reopened on Tuesday in nine of Slovenia s 12 regions with better epidemiological situation. Minister of Education, Science and Sport Simona Kustec said at a press conference that 53,306 children returned to schools on Tuesday and 74,630 to kindergartens, noting this is the first sign of going back to normal. According to the minister, 366 primary schools and 327 kindergartens had been reopened in the nine regions, with 12,822 employees returning to schools in person and 12,844 to kindergartens. Kustec said schools and kindergartens had prepared well for the reopening, while calling for caution and observance of all restrictions.
2021-01-26 14:36:15 GMT2021-01-26 22:36:15(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
SOFIA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) The Bulgarian government on Tuesday extended the nationwide epidemic emergency until April 30 in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, the cabinet said in a statement.
The epidemic emergency was initially declared on May 14 2020 with a duration of one month, replacing the state of emergency implemented on March 13. It has already been extended several times, with the last extension to the end of January.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov ordered Health Minister Kostadin Angelov to loosen the anti-epidemic measures, which were tightened at the end of November.
BRUSSELS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) Stella Kyriakides, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, stated on Monday that AstraZeneca s new schedule in which the company s supply of COVID-19 vaccine would fall short of expectation was unacceptable to the European Union (EU). Last Friday, the company AstraZeneca surprisingly informed the Commission and the European Union Member States that it intends to supply considerably fewer doses in the coming weeks than agreed and announced, she said in a video statement. This new schedule is not acceptable to the European Union, she stressed. The commissioner wrote a letter to the company over the weekend following the announcement on Friday that it would reduce the initial supply.
PARIS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) France has reported 445 new COVID-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 73,494, health authorities data showed on Monday. Meanwhile, 4,240 people tested positive for COVID-19 within one day, bringing the country s cumulative number of infections to 3,057,857. Hospital admissions surged by 531 to 26,924. Some 3,041 resuscitation beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, a single day rise of 76, according to figures posted on the government s coronavirus information website. It is the first time since Dec. 9 that the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care exceeded 3,000. These indicators are worrying, warned Prime Minister Jean Castex early Monday.