With more than 7,300 new cases in 24 hours, France is just short of the 7,578 high set on March 31 during its lockdown period; health authorities aim to reach 1 million tests a week by the end of September
A man has a PCR test for the virus, COVID-19, at a medical laboratory in Paris. Pic/AFP
France on Friday said there had been an "exponential" rise in Coronavirus cases with more than 7,000 new infections in 24 hours. "In mainland France, the dynamics of the epidemic's progression are exponential," the ministry warned.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Although remaining at limited levels, hospital indicators (new hospitalisations and intensive care admissions) are increasing, especially in regions where viral circulation is the most intense," it added.
Further six people were receiving intensive treatment on Friday, taking the total to 387, while the number of hospitalised patients remained unchanged at 4,535.
As of Friday, some 30,596 people in France had lost their lives to COVID-19, representing a single day rise of 20, according to the ministry's figures. Coronavirus infections have surged in France in recent weeks, particularly among young people, prompting the government to make mask-wearing mandatory in the outdoor and at workplace.
Twenty-one departments, including the great Paris region, are classified as high-risk zones for alarming circulation of the Coronavirus, causing speculation of a new lockdown.
UK unveils measures for mass rollout of COVID-19 vaccines
The UK government has unveiled a series of measures to allow the safe mass rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine in the near future, the Department of Health and Social Care announced. The measures include reinforced safeguards to support the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to grant temporary authorisation for the use of a new vaccine, provided it meets the highest quality standards. It also includes expanding the trained workforce who can administer the vaccines.
Domestic air travel in China almost returns to 'pre-pandemic levels'
Domestic air travel in China has nearly fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data released by a leading travel analytics company, which predicted the Asian giant's aviation market would fully recover by the beginning of September. In the second week of August, domestic arrivals at Chinese airports reached 86 per cent of last year's levels, while flight bookings hit 98 per cent.
'US, UK handled pandemic worse than other advanced nations'
The US and the UK have handled the Coronavirus pandemic worse than any other advanced nation, according to a new poll conducted by the Pew Research Centre. Only 46 per cent of Britons and 47 per cent of Americans think their government has coped well with the pandemic.
Keep scrolling to read more news
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
