COVID-19: People in France ‘should wear masks again on public transport’ as new wave of coronavirus hits country | World News
People in France should wear masks again in crowded areas, especially if they take public transport, to help cope with the new wave of COVID-19, according to the country’s health minister.
The increase in Coronavirus Cases are being driven by new variants, with 17,601 new infections in the last 24 hours – Monday’s highest number since April 18.
It comes as the number of people in UK hospitals testing positive for COVID increased by more than a third in a week.
The latest wave in the UK is being driven by the newer Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, which now account for more than half of all new COVID cases.
Since the end of last month, new infections in France have been steadily increasing, with the seven-day moving average of daily new cases quadrupling between 17,705 on May 27 and 71,018 on Tuesday. Two.
However, that total is still five times lower than the record 366,179 at the start of the year.
French Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon said people must wear face coverings in enclosed spaces, such as public transport, workplaces and shops.
“I’m not saying it’s mandatory but I’m asking the French people to wear masks when taking public transport,” she told RTL.
“I’m not merely recommending it, I’m asking for it.”
French immunization director Alain Fischer said last week the country was in the midst of a new wave of COVID, like other European countries.
And he said he was in favor of reintroducing the mandatory wearing of masks on public transport.
The number of people being treated in French hospitals for the disease fell to a six-month low of 13,876 on June 18 but has since increased by 1,223 to 15,099 – the highest in four weeks.
Traditionally, the lag time between cases and hospitalization has been two weeks, followed by a similar delay for COVID-related deaths.
France’s COVID death toll rose 48 in 24 hours to 149,406.
In UK hospitals, 7,822 patients contracted coronavirus as of June 27, up 37% from the previous week, NHS figures show.
This is the highest total in nearly two months but still well below the peak of 16,600 patients during the Omicron BA.2 infection earlier this year.
BA.5 is growing about 35% faster than BA.2 while BA.4 is growing 19% faster – meaning BA.5 is likely to become the dominant COVID soon Research by the UK Health Security Agency shows there is a variant in the UK.
However, there is “currently no evidence” that the two variants lead to more severe illness than the earlier variants.
In Scotland, 948 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were recorded as of June 19, a 27% increase from the previous week.
Wales saw a 41% increase in the number of patients from last week, reaching 417 on 24 June.
The trend in Northern Ireland is uncertain, with numbers rising in early June before leveling off in recent days between 320 and 340.
