France has recorded 4,586 additional confirmed cases of contamination with the new coronavirus in the past twenty-four hours, according to the report communicated, Friday, August 21, by Public Health France (SPF). The number of people hospitalized (4,745) is stable, as well as that of patients placed in an intensive care unit (379).
This figure marks a slight decline after that of 4,771, announced Thursday, the highest since the beginning of May. Twenty-three people have died from the coronavirus since Thursday, bringing the death toll to 30,503 since the start of the epidemic.
The Ministry of Health recalls that “The circulation of the virus is accelerating” : the incidence rate (number of new positive cases detected per 100,000 inhabitants) has increased in seven days by 42%. Nine departments have now exceeded the alert threshold, set at 50 new positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
A total of 31 departments are classified in a vulnerable situation “Moderate” and seven others in vulnerability “High”. These are Bouches-du-Rhône, Guyana, Hérault, Paris, Sarthe, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne.
-
No “generalized confinement” envisaged, according to Véran
Generalized containment measures are not current “Neither in nursing homes nor outside”, underlined Friday the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, during a trip to Lozère, evoking occasional isolation measures “To save life” older people, particularly affected by the new coronavirus.
“Today, there is no need to take generalized containment measures across the country, whether in nursing homes [établissements d’hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes] or outside ”, said Mr. Véran during a press briefing, after visiting the Florac-Trois-Rivières hospital. “I remain, as Minister, extremely concerned about vulnerable and fragile people, and, whenever a decision is necessary and proportionate to save life, I will take it”, he added.
About the very strict confinement of more than three months in retirement homes, very poorly experienced by families and residents, Mr. Véran assured: “This is a measure that I do not regret. “ Visits resumed on June 22 at these establishments.
Mr. Véran explained that he came to Lozère, department “Least affected” by the new coronavirus, where there was only one death, “To show that the epidemic is not inevitable”. “People are going to resume their lives, send the children back to school and that’s very good, go back to face-to-face work and that’s great… But we must be careful to protect the most vulnerable people. The virus must not be able to pass from the youngest to the oldest “, he said.
-
Cases are multiplying in Ligue 1 clubs
After the Olympique de Marseille, the football club of Nîmes also confirmed, on Friday, to count four cases of Covid-19, and many other clubs are affected by the pandemic, reinforcing the concern on the day of the resumption of the League 1.
After Montpellier, where striker Andy Delort was affected this week, other clubs have deplored positive cases in their workforce: one in Lens, two in Nice, one in Angers, one in Monaco, one in Brest. The pandemic continues to make its way in professional clubs, and the number of cancellations of meetings during the first day, which starts Friday evening, is likely to increase.
To the postponements, more joyful, from Montpellier-Lyon (September 15) and Paris-SG-Metz (September 16), for reasons of the semi-finals of the Champions League of OL and PSG, was added that of OM-Saint-Étienne (September 17) because of the pandemic.
The inaugural day of the season could also be deprived of Nîmes-Brest, scheduled for Sunday, a third and a fourth case having been confirmed in Nîmes, after additional tests. However, according to the protocol of the Professional Football League (LFP), from four cases, the virus is considered “circulating” in the club, and the LFP committee is required to rule on any postponement of meetings.
–
