PARIS (Reuters) – France must do everything to prevent further coronavirus blockade as pressure on hospitals increases, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Sunday, as the country recorded more than 26,000 new cases.
The French government has so far resisted pressure from some health experts to impose a new and third block in the face of an increase in the number of cases.
Instead, it imposed a 6pm curfew across the country and blockades on weekends in two regions struggling to contain outbreaks while major shopping centers are forced to close.
“We have to use all available weapons to avoid a blockade. I never hid, let’s vaccinate, protect ourselves, get tested, ”said Castex in an interview with the Twitch website.
The health ministry reported 26,343 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, down from 29,759 the previous day, while the number of people who died of the virus increased by 140 to a total of 90,429.
Meanwhile, the number of people in intensive care units has increased from 57 to 4,127, while emergency resuscitation units operated at almost 82% of capacity, the highest since late November, when France was in its second blockade.
“The situation is not improving, there is an increasing number of infections and hospitals are very overburdened with many patients, whose average age is decreasing and who do not always have comorbidities,” said Castex.
The government plans to transfer about 100 patients this week by plane or special trains from the Paris metropolitan area to other cities to help ease the 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 French official to catch the virus.
Meanwhile, France’s vaccination program has picked up speed with the 67,134 first vaccines on Sunday, bringing the total to 5,128,872 or 7.7% of the population, the ministry of health said. About 2,239,389 received both injections until Sunday.
Reporting by Leigh Thomas and Jean-Stephane Brosse; Editing by Edmund Blair and Jane Merriman