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Day: 28 June 2022

Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 fuel new uptick in cases

by: Cassandra Tanti
28/06/2022

The circulation of Covid-19 continues to rise in Monaco and the surrounding French Riviera, with the two new Omicron variants now accounting for the majority of cases.

The fluctuating, and frustrating, health situation that is known as Covid continues with the latest figures showing that the incidence rate in Monaco has now hit 501, up from 411 a week ago, and significantly more than 148 on 30th May, with a positive rate of 17%.

Meanwhile, the incidence rate in the Alpes-Maritimes department has reached 753, with a positivity rate of 26% according to the latest government figures.

Information from the French Health Department shows that the new Omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5, account for 65.8% of cases in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region, while the Omicron variants BA.1 and BA.2 are now responsible for 34% of cases.

While the Monaco government does not publicly reveal the dominant variants in positive cases, history has shown that the situation in Monaco always mimics that of its close French neighbour.

There also seems to be little variation in who is now contracting Covid-19. The unvaccinated account for 173 positive tests in a population of 100,000, while the vaccinated with a booster shot of less than six months accounts for 152 positive tests.

With the rise in cases comes an increase in hospitalisations in Monaco, which have jumped to 24, with 21 of those being residents. However, there are no patients being treated in the CHPG intensive care unit.

Since the start of the pandemic, 12,887 people in Monaco have contracted Covid, while the Principality has recorded 57 deaths, the majority over the age of 80 years.

SEE ALSO:

Vaccine pass and masks “could be reactivated” says Nice mayor

 

 

Photo by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life

 

 

Vaccine pass and masks “could be reactivated” says Nice mayor

by: Stephanie Horsman
28/06/2022

Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi has dropped a bomb, saying he may reinstate the mandatory vaccine pass in August as well as masks on public transport, as Covid cases continue to spike across France.

Experts are warning that France may be entering a seventh wave in the Covid pandemic, as cases hit nearly 165,000 in a single day on Monday. The Alpes-Maritimes’ incidence rate has climbed to 752.6 and the rate in Monaco has hit 501.

These numbers have spurred Nice’s long time Mayor Christian Estrosi to announce at a metropolitan council meeting Monday that the vaccine pass “could be reactivated from 1st August”.

This bombshell caused a bit of a stir, so much so that the mayor was compelled to explain himself to CNEWS on Tuesday morning. Estrosi said that “the numbers have risen vertiginously” and that “according to scientists, the number of real cases would be 25 times higher than the official figures. The local Environmental Health Safety and Risk Management Agency is daily monitoring the wastewater of the city of Nice and the Covid carriage rate is above 4%”.

With numbers this high at the very start of the busy summer season, concern is mounting that they will skyrocket even more, possibly affecting the start of the school year in September.

This being said, Estrosi insists, “I have no information from the government”, and that he only relies on local findings to base his decisions.

Nationally, Minister of Health Brigitte Bourguignon has “strongly recommended” that the French go back to putting masks on in public transport and crowded areas, however she stressed it was not obligatory.

Estrosi weighed in on this as well, saying that if the situation were to continue to deteriorate, he would impose mask wearing “on the 2,500km of transport networks that I manage,” possible affecting workers crossing the border into Monaco.  

SEE ALSO:

Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 fuel new uptick in cases

 

 

 

Photo of Nice by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life

 

 

 

 

Philippe Clement: “Takumi Minamino was very high on our list”

by: Luke Entwistle
28/06/2022

AS Monaco manager Philippe Clement confirmed on Saturday that a deal has been struck to sign Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino. The Japanese international is set to be the club’s first summer signing.

Having had their wallets lined by the sale of Aurélien Tchouaméni to Real Madrid for what RMC have reported to be a €100 million fee, Monaco have already set about reinforcing their existing squad ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Takumi Minamino was first linked to Monaco in January, and rumours surrounding his arrival at Le Rocher intensified following the sale of Tchouaméni. His imminent transfer was then confirmed on Saturday during an interview with AFP.

He said, “I am very happy. I have known him for a long time. He was very high on our list. Everyone here is convinced that he has the ability to bring something to the group.”

It’s not just Clement who is familiar with the Liverpool player, who joined the Merseyside club for €12.5 from Red Bull Salzburg in 2020. Although at different clubs, Minamino was part of the Red Bull franchise at the same time as AS Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell was chief scout at German side Red Bull Leipzig.

According to Fabrizio Romano, he will join the Principality club for €15m plus €3m in add-ons. Minamino has reportedly chosen Monaco over Lyon due to his attraction to featuring in the Champions League next season.

The Japanese international, who has 17 goals in 42 appearances for his national side, is in the search for more game time. Since joining over two years ago, Minamino has only made 55 appearances for Liverpool, 34 of those from the bench, and has scored 14 goals.

The deal is yet to be made official by either club, but Minamino’s arrival now looks a question of when and not if, and he will bolster an already loaded attacking force ahead of their attempts to guide the club to the Champions League group stages.

 

 

Photo source: Foot Mercato, Maxppp

 

 

 

Old nemesis inflicts more Roca Team heartbreak

by: Luke Entwistle
28/06/2022

Different year, same result. Lyon-Villeurbanne secured a nail-biting overtime victory against AS Monaco Basketball (84-82) at the Astroballe on Saturday to win their third consecutive French title.

Monaco were within just a second of avenging their 2019 defeat at the hands of Asvel, but despite a tighter series that went right down to the wire, Sasa Obradovic’s men once again fell agonisingly short.

Having gone 2-1 up in the series at the Salle Gaston Médecin last week, the Roca Team were within just one win of dethroning the kings of French basketball. The opportunity was missed last Wednesday, as they were played off the court by Asvel, who started quick out the blocks.

The same happened once again on Saturday, as a packed Astroballe roared on the home side to a 17pt advantage midway through the first-quarter (24-7). Slow starts have been a predictable feature in Monaco’s matches, not just in this series, but over the course of the entire season.

What is less predictable is their ability to fight back. Whereas Monaco had no reply for the irrepressible Asvel attack in mid-week, Obradovic’s men successfully weathered the storm to re-find their attacking fluidity and regain control of the game during the second-quarter.

Their comeback wasn’t bombastic, but incremental gains earned Monaco the right to dream of their first French title. By the fourth-quarter, they were within striking distance. Cometh the hour, cometh the man – back-to-back Mike James three-pointers reversed the deficit and gave his side a four-point lead.

A Dwayne Bacon two-pointer left Monaco on the edge of glory. With an eight-point lead, they only needed to hold out for four minutes to cause the upset and deny Asvel history of becoming only the second French side to win three consecutive league titles.

David Lighty halved the deficit with a three-pointer, but Asvel still had work to do, as Monaco resisted. One play away from the title, Élie Okobo picked the ball up, drove into the key and converted a two-pointer with just 1.8 seconds left in the series to level the scores and take it to overtime.

The momentum was with the home side and Okobo gave them a five-point advantage with just over two minutes to go. But Monaco found a second wind and fought back to retake the lead (80-81) thanks to a James two-pointer with less than a minute to go.

After the third match, Bacon told Monaco Life that “defences win games.” And so it proved. On the counter, Paris Lee charged down the court, and looked certain to give Monaco the advantage once more with just 15 seconds on the clock, but a sublime intervention denied the American.

By the skin of their teeth, Asvel clung on to claim their 21st French championship (84-82), and leave Monaco still searching for their first. “I am sad for the supporters and for Monaco, who have been waiting a long time for it,” said Monaco’s Léo Westermann.

A promising season that saw a European adventure, which defied expectations, and another Betclic Elite final ultimately ended trophyless. But there is an irrepressible feeling that this team are on the right track, and should they channel this year’s disappointment in a positive way next season, they could yet dethrone the French champions. But for now, the chance to pull off that feat feels a long way away.

 

Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball