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Despite the increasing COVID-19 cases, the government of President Emmanuel Macron has so far not declared a new national exclusion, but rather preferred to intensify measures in hard-hit towns such as Nice and Dunkirk, but Paris has so far saved.
“I urge everyone, and especially those living in the capital, to be extremely careful, wear the mask and respect social distance. The aim is to reduce the pressure on the hospital system,” Castex said during said a visit to a hospital.
The number of people with COVID-19 in intensive care units exceeded 4,000 on Friday for the first time since November 26, with nearly 1,100 COVID-19 patients in ICUs in the Paris region alone.
In Paris and the surrounding region, healthcare managers say the intensive care units are almost overloaded.
Castex said the vaccination campaign in the Ile-de-France area around Paris would be accelerated over the weekend, with the delivery of 25,000 extra doses.
France’s vaccination program is hampered by logistical problems and problems with deliveries of vaccine manufacturers, but Castex said the campaign was accelerating, with 320,326 shots fired on Friday, setting a new record.
>> How the EU’s Covid-19 vaccine became an ‘advertisement for Brexit’
(REUTERS)