23,448 cases of Covid-19 contamination were recorded in 24 hours in France, where hospital pressure remains high against a background of the progression of more contagious variants, according to data from Public Health France published on Thursday.
Live: LIVE - Covid-19: "The situation does not justify to date" a new confinement, judge Jean Castex
The number of contaminations is down compared to the day before (26,362), but remains on a high plateau, fluctuating between 20,000 and 26,000 new daily cases since January.
The positivity rate is stable at 6.7%.
In 24 hours, 360 people died from Covid-19 in hospital (against 358 the day before), bringing the death toll to 77,952 since the start of the epidemic in France.
Still nearly 28,000 hospitalizations
The situation remains tense on the front of hospitals, which currently welcome 27,766 patients (-187 compared to Wednesday), including 1,752 new admissions.
Among them, 3,240 patients are treated in the intensive care units, including 275 who arrived in the last 24 hours.
The day before, 3,267 Covid patients were in intensive care.
“
Today, 6 out of 10 patients in our intensive care units are Covid patients, forcing many of our hospitals to postpone less urgent care to free up beds,
” Prime Minister Jean Castex said during the meeting. '' a press conference at the end of the day.
Four first "Brazilian" cases
The British, South African and Brazilian variants of the coronavirus are being watched very closely because they raise fears of a new explosion of the epidemic before the vaccination can produce its effects.
Four first cases of infection with the Brazilian variant of the coronavirus have been detected in France, in addition to the English and South African variants, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran said Thursday.
We have known
"since yesterday"
that there are
"four cases of variant of Brazilian origin
,
"
said Olivier Véran.
"
These variants do not constitute a potential threat but a very real one,
" warned Jean Castex, who has promised 1.7 million additional appointments for the first injections of vaccines in the coming days.
Thursday evening, 1.766 million people had received at least a first dose and 189,000 a booster, said Minister of Health Olivier Véran.