France has recorded a record number of new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours: 91,608 people have tested positive for Covid-19. However, for the first time in two months, hospitalizations are down slightly.
It is a scenario that the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, feared: a “wave in the wave”. While the Covid-19 contamination slowed a few days ago, the Omicron variant restarted the circulation of the virus in France. In the past 24 hours, France has recorded an impressive number of new cases of Covid-19: 91,608 to be exact. Unheard of since the start of the epidemic. The previous “record” dated November 07, 2020: the health authorities then recorded nearly 86,852 new cases of Covid-19 in a day’s time. Over this last week, France has thus recorded on average more than 61,200 new cases of Covid-19 in the territory each day, as shown in the graph presented below (if no graphics appear, please deactivate your ad blocker).
This surge in contamination is not having a uniform impact on the whole country. The South-East of France is thus far more concerned by this wave of new cases of Covid-19.
Drôme thus has the highest incidence rate in the country, with 1,109 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants recorded between December 14 and 20. In Occitanie, the Pyrénées Orientales department has the highest incidence rate in the region with 762 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Slight decrease in hospitalizations
This increase in contamination is generally felt by hospitals within a fortnight. Hospitalizations related to Covid-19 remain significant in the country but this Thursday, December 23, it should be noted a very slight improvement in hospitals in France. For the first time since the end of October, hospitalizations linked to the virus are down overnight.
The country has 16,060 patients hospitalized because of Covid-19 (or 58 patients less than this Wednesday). In addition, 3,208 people are currently in intensive care (61 more sick than this Wednesday). These figures will change over the next few weeks: it will be a question of seeing whether the variant Omicron, more contagious, however, causes fewer hospitalizations. This Thursday, the British health authorities estimated that the risks of hospitalizations with this variant were 70% lower than with the Delta variant.
In total, 122,295 people have died from Covid-19 in the country since the start of the epidemic (or 179 more in 124 hours).