Lunchtime News Friday 23rd April 2021

News

Health professionals express concerns at government reopening plan - Many health professionals in France have expressed their concern following the “reopening schedule” announced by the French government on Thursday. Despite French Prime Minister announcing that "the peak of the third wave seems to be behind us and the drop in epidemic pressure is underway," on Thursday the number of new daily Covid cases stood at 34,318. Some have compared the situation to the UK saying that when “Britain reopened there were 2,000 daily cases and less than 30 daily deaths” adding that “the situation is very different in France and much more fragile”. For many health professionals the reopening schedule is likely to increase epidemic pressure and, consequently, further saturate hospitals in France”.

Johnson & Johnson vaccine available from Saturday - People over the age of 55 will be able, "from this Saturday", to be vaccinated against Covid-19 with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. France received a first delivery of 200,000 doses of this vaccine at the end of last week, but it was awaiting the conclusions of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which estimated on Wednesday that the benefits outweighed the risks.

Vaccination in the Var - This weekend a new vaccination campaign is being carried out in the Var to vaccinate priority workers aged 55 and over with AstraZeneca. The Zenith in Toulon will be open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

In other news

Two vehicles catch fire in car park in Principality - Two work site vehicles have caught fire in a car park in Monaco. The incident occurred just after 9pm on Thursday evening at the Larvotto car park on avenue Princess Grace. The reason for the blaze remains to be determined. 24 firefighters were on site no injuries were reported.

Wine Auction - The Hotel Martinez is to open its doors to a prestigious wine auction. Tomorrow Friday 23rd April and Saturday 24th April prestigious wines and rare spirits will be auctioned in the salons of the Martinez Hotel. Lots range in price from 20,000 to 50,000 euros. Many bottles come from renowned estates of Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux and other French wine regions. While the auction room will be restricted to a certain number of people due to health restrictions it’s possible to take part online at https://www.cannesauction.com/ventes/305-vins-prestigieux-alcools-rares

 

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