Hospitalizations due to Covid-19 were stable, with 7,054 patients, while contaminations have been climbing rapidly for a week, according to figures from Public Health France published on Thursday.
3,617 people tested positive for the virus in 24 hours, a generally insignificant indicator the day after a holiday or after a weekend. But over the last 7 days, cases of contamination have doubled, rising to nearly 38,700, double the previous week.
The Delta variant involved
The highly contagious Delta variant is responsible for almost all of these new cases in France today.
Hospitals, where the decline that began at the end of April has slowed for several days, received 7,054 patients (7,047 Wednesday), of which 213 were admitted in the last 24 hours. Critical care services, in charge of the most serious cases, recorded a slight decrease, with 914 patients against 931 the day before and 36 new admissions.
16 deaths in 24 hours
The disease has killed 16 people in 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 111,458 since the start of the epidemic in March 2020.
Since the start of the vaccination campaign, 36,738,501 people have received at least one injection (or 54.5% of the total population) and 29,201,246 people are now fully vaccinated, or 43.3% of the total population.
Health Minister Olivier Véran stressed Thursday in Chambéry that 96% of those who had contracted Covid-19 with symptoms were not vaccinated.