The seven-day average of new cases reached 17,153 on Saturday, an increase of 81%.
Fifth-wave coronavirus infections in France are rising at an alarming rate, with the government reporting Sunday that new daily COVID-19 cases are close to doubling in the past week.
The seven-day average of new cases reached 17,153 on Saturday, up from 9,458 a week ago, an increase of 81%, according to health officials.
“The fifth wave is starting at lightning speed,” government spokesman Gabriel Atal told the media.
The latest seven-day increase is three times the average increase of cases reported in the past three weeks, indicating an exponential acceleration of infections.
For now, the spike in infections has not resulted in a massive influx of COVID-19 patients into hospitals, with officials blaming the limited number of intensive care patients at France’s high rate of vaccination against the most dangerous forms of COVID-19. appear to be highly effective. -19.
On Saturday, hospitals reported a total of 7,974 COVID-19 patients in their care, of whom 1,333 were in intensive treatment. This compares to 6,500 and 1,000, respectively, a month ago.
“There has been a very strong increase in infections, but we also know that we have a huge vaccination cover in France,” he said. “We are ahead of our neighbors in terms of booster shots.”
France’s introduction of a health pass in the summer ahead of other countries was also helping to contain coronavirus infections, he said.
A health pass, required in French restaurants, cafes and many cultural venues, certifies that a person has been fully vaccinated, has recently recovered from COVID-19, or has tested negative for the virus.
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