T+ ns – normal size

French government spokesman Gabriel Attal warned today, Sunday, that the current development of a fifth pandemic wave in France is “astonishing”, noting that “there are elements that may concern us and elements that may reassure us”. Huh.”

“This fifth wave started suddenly,” Atal told several media outlets.

And the number of injuries doubled within a week, as 17,153 injuries were recorded on Saturday, compared to 9,458 a week earlier.

The main challenge is to determine whether the increase in the number of injuries will put pressure on hospitals. However, officials attribute the reduction in pressure on hospitals to an increase in vaccination rates against COVID-19, which contributes significantly to reducing severe forms of the disease and being less effective against infection with delta mutants.

About 75% of the French population has received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

And the number of people infected with Covid-19 in hospitals reached 7,974 people on Saturday, including 1,333 patients in intensive care, compared with 6,500 people (including a thousand in intensive care) a month earlier.

“We see a significant increase in the rate of infection, but we also know that in France we have extensive vaccination coverage and we are well ahead of giving booster doses compared to our neighbours,” Atal said.

He recalled that France issued the health certificate in July, while “most of the surrounding countries issued it later.”

He stressed that the government, with the decision to issue health certificates, “has the option of holding non-vaccinated people accountable rather than carrying non-vaccinated people.”

France has proposed that people over the age of 65, who are at risk of developing a severe form of the disease, receive a third dose of the vaccine against COVID-19, from later December 1 to those aged 50 to 64. becomes available to the people.