No massive increase, but a still worrying situation.
Prime Minister Jean Castex insisted during a new press conference devoted to the health situation on the
"strong pressure"
in hospitals.
The English variant now represents 60% of contaminations in the country, said the head of government.
"Over the last seven days, the number of daily contaminations has increased by 1.4% while this same figure was + 14% during the previous week,"
he observed.
“We are not faced, at least not at this stage, with an exponential increase in the epidemic.
"
Live:
LIVE - Covid-19: vaccination in pharmacies will begin "from the week of March 15", according to Jean Castex
After the coast of the Alpes-Maritimes and the agglomeration of Dunkirk, weekend containment is extended to the Pas-de-Calais department, despite the hostility of some local elected officials, because the incidence rate is almost twice the national average.
In addition, the list of areas under surveillance is growing with three additional departments in addition to the twenty identified last week: Hautes-Alpes, Aisne and Aube.
Non-food shopping centers of more than 10,000 m2 will be closed there and residents are invited not to move beyond the borders of their department.
Jean Castex thus preferred to formulate
"recommendations"
, in particular on the need to limit social contacts, rather than adding new constraints to the French.
The executive, however, seeks to limit groupings: the prefects may prohibit certain events as well as access to the most frequented sites during the weekend.
Read also:
Covid-19: a return to "a more normal life" perhaps mid-April, is this credible?
If the virus is still actively circulating, the head of government wanted to be positive: the number of infections is decreasing among the elderly, a sign, according to him, that the vaccination campaign is bearing fruit.
Emmanuel Macron has also demanded that the vaccination change dimension.
Jean Castex thus promised that at least 20 million people would be vaccinated by mid-May, against 3.2 million currently, thanks to massive deliveries.
Pharmacists will be able to administer the doses themselves from mid-March to people over 50 years of age with co-morbid factors.
"It is indeed the fastest and best targeted possible deployment of the vaccination campaign that will allow us to get out of this tunnel",
underlined the Prime Minister,
"solemnly"
calling
on the staff of nursing homes to be vaccinated, establishments where visitation rules will be relaxed.
Read also:
Closure of non-food shopping centers of more than 10,000 m2 in "risk departments"
The tenant of Matignon also asked
"to use full"
the AstraZeneca vaccine, intended for 50-74 year olds with co-morbidities.
135,000 new doses will be allocated from this weekend in priority departments under reinforced surveillance, including 10,000 in Pas-de-Calais.
In Paris was launched a
"call for mobilization to strengthen the vaccination centers this weekend"
because a
"massive and unscheduled delivery of vaccines has just been announced by the regional health agency (ARS)
".
Some 45,000 doses of Pfizer would be available, against nearly 30,000 additional in Hauts-de-France.