France recorded 20,262 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to data published this Friday, December 25 on the government.fr website, a high figure which is partly explained by the surge in tests carried out by the French before the family reunion for the holidays.
The positivity rate continues to decline to 3.4%, against 3.8% the day before and 5.9% seven days earlier.
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50% increase in tests performed in one week
Last week, some 2.35 million tests were carried out, up more than 50% from the previous week, Drees, the statistical service of social ministries, said Thursday, December 24.
The coronavirus epidemic has killed a total of 62,427 people in France, including 159 in the past 24 hours.
In detail, 112 new patients were admitted to intensive care in 24 hours (compared to 186 Thursday, December 24), bringing to 2,616 the number of Covid patients currently hospitalized in intensive care in France, according to data from Public Health France.
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All departments combined, 743 new patients with the coronavirus have been hospitalized since Thursday, December 24: 24,359 Covid patients currently occupy a hospital bed, according to Public Health France.
First vaccinations next week
The first vaccinations in France against the disease are to begin Sunday, December 27, in Sevran, in Seine-Saint-Denis, and in Dijon, with elderly volunteers.
Read also: Covid-19: start of vaccination on Sunday for “a few dozen” of nursing home residents
This "will
begin in a small number of establishments for the elderly, and will gradually extend to all of France in January
", Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced on Tuesday, December 22.
Larger vaccine deliveries are in fact scheduled for early January.
The campaign for the 7,000 nursing homes in France, their residents and their caregivers likely to develop serious forms of Covid will not really start on a large scale until the beginning of 2021.