Covid: Paris residents told to be ‘extremely careful’ as ICUs fill up
New patient goes into intensive care in greater Paris region every 12 minutes
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Your support makes all the difference.French Prime Minister Jean Castex has said that authorities are ready to take new measures in response to the tense Covid-19 situation in Paris.
The number of people with Covid-19 in intensive care units on Friday exceeded 4,000 for the first time since late November, with nearly 1,100 Covid-19 patients in intensive care units (ICU) in the Paris region alone.
Healthcare workers in and around Paris say the ICUs are close to being overloaded.
The Prime Minister stopped short of announcing a tightening of curfew or new regional lockdowns and the administration of President Emmanuel Macron has opted to tighten local measures in hard-hit towns including Dunkirk and Nice, but not Paris.
France’s minister for solidarity and health, Oliver Véran said: “At this moment we can say that the variants are more contagious and more dangerous and they now represent more than two thirds of infections in France.”
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He said a new patient went into intensive care in the greater Paris region every 12 minutes, adding he did not know when the current peak of the epidemic would be reached there.
During a visit to a hospital, Mr Castex said: ”I call on everyone, and especially those who live in the capital, to be extremely careful, wear the mask and respect social distancing. The aim is to reduce the pressure on the hospital system.”
He also said that in the Ile-de-France region around Paris, the vaccination campaign would be sped up this weekend, with the delivery of 25,000 extra doses.
France’s vaccination programme has been hampered by logistical bottlenecks and problems with deliveries from vaccine manufacturers but Castex said the campaign was speeding up, with 329,326 shots administered on Friday, a new record.
As of Friday, 4.9 million people – 7.2 per cent of the French population – had received a first injection and 2.2 million had received two, official figures showed.
In early March, France finally approved usage of the Oxford-AstraZenecavaccine for its elderly population and those with pre-existing conditions, however those over 75 will still be given the Moderna or Pfizer jab.
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