PARIS (Reuters) – France must do everything possible to avoid a new coronavirus blockage as pressure on hospitals rises, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Sunday, as the country reported more than 26,000 new cases.
The French government has so far resisted pressure from health experts to impose a third blockade on the growing number of cases.
Instead, it imposed a 18:00 national timeout at the national level and weekend blockades in two regions struggling to reduce outbreaks, while large shopping malls have been forced to close.
“We must use all available weapons to avoid blockade. We never hid it, let’s get vaccinated, protect ourselves, be tested “, said Castex in an interview on the Twitch website.
The Ministry of Health reported on Sunday 26,343 new cases of COVID-19, down from 29,759 the previous day, while the number of people who died from the virus increased by 140 to a total of 90,429.
Meanwhile, the number of people in intensive care units rose by 57 to 4,127, while emergency resuscitation units were operating at almost 82% capacity, the highest since the end of November, when France was in second place. blockage.
“The situation is not improving, there are an increasing number of infections, and hospitals are very burdened by many patients, whose average age is getting younger and who do not always have comorbidities,” said Castex.
The government plans to transfer about 100 patients this week by air or special trains from the Paris region to other cities to help reduce pressure on hospitals in the capital.
Labor Minister Elizabeth Borne said on Sunday that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and would continue to work, the latest senior French official to catch the virus.
Meanwhile, France’s vaccination program has gained momentum, with the first 67,134 shots fired on Sunday, bringing the total to 5,128,872 or 7.7% of the population, the health ministry said. About 2,239,389 received both injections as of Sunday.
Reporting by Leigh Thomas and Jean-Stephane Brosse; Editing by Edmund Blair and Jane Merriman