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Day: 25 January 2021

600 vaccines a day possible at new site

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/01/2021

Prince Albert has inaugurated Monaco’s new Covid vaccination centre in the Grimaldi Forum, telling reporters that it is “too early to tell” if he will order another lockdown for the Principality. 
The Prince visited the Grimaldi Forum just before midday together with Minister of State Pierre Dartout, Health Minister Didier Gamerdinger and National Council President Stéphane Valeri. Just hours earlier, the makeshift health centre opened its doors to provide the Covid jab to Monaco’s citizens.
Around 600 vaccines a day are expected to be administered by health professionals at the site.
Currently, only residents aged over 65 and those with co-morbidities can apply to have the free inoculation, as well as people aged over 75 who missed the first round.
“Thanks to this centre, we aim to respond as quickly and as easily as possible to all the requests of people who wish to be vaccinated,” said the Prince.

Photo by Michael Alesi for the Government Communication Department

The whole process lasts about half an hour and includes registration, a medical examination, the inoculation and a 15-minute waiting period to determine that there is no reaction.
Eventually, the government aims to vaccinate all residents, employees and students in the Principality who wish to receive the jab.
When questioned about vaccine supply, the Prince responded: “We are doing everything with the government and those responsible to have sufficient doses on time.”
He also said that it was “too early to tell” if Monaco would go into another lockdown, but that it would consider the possibility if France takes the measure.
“We will of course study the question and find an answer that is most suited to the Principality,” said the Prince.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to make a televised address to the nation on Wednesday night and national media are suggesting he will announce a three-week lockdown, with schools to remain open but all non-essential businesses to close.
 
Photos by Michael Alesi for the Government Communication Department
 
 

Giacometti marks return of summer exhibition

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/01/2021

A retrospective exhibition of the works of famed Swiss sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti is coming to the Grimaldi Forum this summer for the first time ever.
Monaco’s largest culture and congress centre was forced to cancel its 2020 summer exhibition, ‘Monaco and the Automobile’, because of logistical issues surrounding the Covid pandemic.
This year it is coming back strong with the largest display of Alberto Giacometti’s works ever seen, in an exhibition titled ‘Marvellous Reality’, organised in conjunction with the Giacometti Foundation.
Grimaldi Forum General Manager Sylvie Biancheri told Monaco Life that she has no doubt the exhibition will go ahead as planned from 3rd July to 29th August, despite the ongoing health crisis. Internationally recognised health measures will ensure the public’s safety, she said, while there should be no issues transporting the Paris-based works to the Principality.

Alberto Giacometti in his studio in Montparnasse in Paris, photographed by his wife Annette. Giacometti Foundation Archives © Succession Alberto Giacometti 2019

Despite his death in 1966, Giacometti remains an incredibly important influence and is widely recognised as one of the most significant sculptors of the 20th century. His early style was based on Surrealism and Cubism, but by the mid-1930’s he was more interested in figurative compositions.
During the war years, between 1938 and 1944, Giacometti, who fled his Paris-based life for his home country of Switzerland, started creating sculptures no more than seven centimetres in height. The size was said to reflect the distance between the artist and his models. He preferred using models he knew well, such as his sister and fellow artist Isabel Rawsthorne.
It was after World War II that Giacometti began his most productive period and when he produced his most famous works. His miniature figures gave way to larger ones, but the taller they became, the more elongated they became, too. The tall, slender, rough-hewn figurines of both men and women, as well as animals, have become iconic and look modern and unique, even today.
After Giacometti’s death from heart disease, his wife and sole heir, Annette, collected a full listing of all her late husband’s works, including documentation proving provenance. This work was in direct response to a spate of counterfeits that began to flood the market. When she died in 1993, the French State set up the Giacometti Foundation to preserve his work and legacy.
The exhibition of Giacometti’s works is the first to be hosted by the Grimaldi Forum. To sweeten the pot, the Grimaldi Forum is offering two free tickets to the exhibition for those willing to take a short, three minute opinion poll.
 
 

AS Monaco on a roll

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/01/2021

The Red and Whites took their fourth victory in a row after a brilliant showing Friday night against Olympique de Marseille, winning three to one at a home game at Stade Louis II.
If Olympique de Marseille thought they were going to end their slump in their game against Monaco, they were sorely mistaken.
It looked as though Marseille may have had a chance, as Nemanja Radonjic scored the opening goal at 12 minutes in, but this did nothing more than make Monaco step up their defence, keeping the opponents at bay for the rest of the half. Still, this meant Monaco went into the locker room with a one point deficit. Not an ideal place to be.
Though the Red and Whites weren’t able to convert the entire first half, after the break they hit their stride. Aleksandr Golovin made a beauty of a pass to Guillermo Maripán. The Chilean landed the ball inside the far post, evening up the score.
It wasn’t until the 75th minute when the next goal was made, this time by Aurélien Tchouameni, with another Golovin assist, putting Monaco in the lead.
As if the simple lead wasn’t enough, the end of the match was marked by a fantastic free kick by Stevan Jovetic at exactly the 90 mark. The missile of a ball landed in the top corner, flying past the goalkeeper to seal the deal. The game ended with a three to one victory for Monaco.
Coach Niko Kovac, happy with the way his men played, said after the match: “I definitely want to congratulate my players on the victory, especially against a team of this quality, one of the best in the league. Even though we didn’t start the game the way I wanted – we conceded that goal, which was avoidable – but after 20/25 minutes of play, it was not the same. From then on, we dominated the match. We deserved this victory, in my opinion.”
The Red and Whites’ next game will be Sunday 31st January at the Stade de la Beaujoire where they face off against Nantes at 9pm.
 
Photo by AS Monaco (Monaco Life with AS Monaco press release)
 
 
 
 

AstraZeneca follows Pfizer in vaccine delay

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/01/2021

AstraZeneca has warned that initial supplies of its Europe-bound Covid-19 vaccines will be lower than expected, sparking new concern over the rollout of inoculations.
News from the British pharmaceutical firm on Friday followed a similar announcement by Pfizer last week, which said it would delay shipments of its vaccine for up to a month due to works at its key plant in Belgium.
The delays come as countries brace for new Covid-19 variants, particularly one that emerged in Britain and which is more infectious than the original strain.
Europe has now recorded more than 692,000 virus deaths and nearly 32 million infections.
The EU has so far approved vaccines from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech as well as from US company Moderna. It has not yet approved the vaccine from AstraZeneca and its partner the University of Oxford, but it is expected to make a decision by 29th January.
AstraZeneca said in its statement that if EU approval is granted, the “initial volumes will be lower than anticipated”, although the start would not be delayed.
The EU had initially ordered up to 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and has secured contracts for more than two billion vaccine doses for a total population of 450 million.
Meanwhile, criticism is mounting over a Pfizer announcement on 15th January that modifications at its Puurs factory were necessary to ramp up vaccine production capacity from mid-February.
“We believe that Pfizer is currently at fault,” Domenico Arcuri, Italy’s special commissioner for the pandemic, said in La Stampa newspaper on Saturday, confirming the country planned to pursue legal action against the company.
“The 20-percent reduction in Pfizer vaccine supplies is not an estimation, but a sad certainty,” he said, adding that Italians’ health was not “negotiable”.
French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune on Friday called on Pfizer to “honour its commitments”.
 
(Monaco Life with AFP)
 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 

French team makes history at Monte-Carlo Rally

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/01/2021

Julien Ingrassia and Sébastien Ogier achieved a record-topping eighth win at the 89th Monte-Carlo Rally this weekend, beating out former record holders Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena.
The annual rally ended on Sunday with Frenchmen Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia taking their eighth victory in their Toyota Yaris WRC, surpassing the record they shared with Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena.
The race was not the usual spectacle, as health measure prohibited the public from cheering them on and the course was abridged to comply with rules pertaining to curfews, but the excitement of the race was still felt.
Ogier and Ingrassia came out swinging and won not only the Rally, but also their 50th World Rally Cup victory.
The final standings of the race saw Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia coming in at 2h56’33”, with fellow Toyota Yaris WRC drivers Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin in second place. The Brits were 32”6 behind the leaders. Belgians Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe in their Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC took third coming in 1’13’5 after Ogier and Ingrassia.
Rounding out the top five were Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen from Finland in their Toyota Yaris WRC and Spanish drivers Dani Sordo and Carlos Del Barrio in their Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC.
Ogier won his first Rallye Monte-Carlo in 2009, and then from 2014 he won every year until 2019. He was unseated in 2020 by Thierry Neuville in 2020.
Prince Albert presented the award to Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia on Sunday afternoon.
 
Photo: Government Communication Department / Manuel Vitali