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France hits new COVID record with more than 100,000 daily cases

France records more than 100,000 viral infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic and COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled in the last month as the rapidly spreading Omicron variant complicates efforts by the French government to avoid a new lock.

More than one in 100 people in the Paris region tested positive last week, according to the regional health service. Most of the new infections are linked to the Omicron variant, which government experts say will be dominant in France in the coming days. Omicron is already dominant in Great Britain, across the Channel.

Meanwhile, an increase in Delta variant infections in recent months is pushing up hospitalizations in France and putting pressure on intensive care units again during the Christmas holidays. More than 1,000 people in France infected with the virus have died in the past week, bringing the country’s total death toll to more than 122,000.

President Emmanuel Macron’s government is holding emergency meetings tomorrow to discuss next steps in the fight against the virus. Some scientists and educators have urged delaying going back to school after the holidays or suggesting reimposing a curfew.

Instead, the French government is hoping that the boosted vaccinations will be enough. The government is pushing a bill that would require vaccinations to enter all restaurants and many public places, instead of the current health card system that allows people to produce a negative test or proof of recovery if they don’t. are not vaccinated.