Daily cases hit 4-month high in France as Paris faces lockdown

PARIS • France recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus cases in nearly four months on Wednesday, with the hard-hit Paris region bracing itself for a possible weekend lockdown to stem the rising tide of cases.

The country registered 38,501 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, up from 29,975 the previous day. It was the highest number since November, the public health authority said.

The positivity rate - the proportion of positive results compared with the number of tests carried out overall - remained stable at 7.5 per cent. The number of people in intensive care fell slightly to 4,219. The Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, accounted for more than a quarter of these cases.

The number of coronavirus deaths on Wednesday stood at 246 for the whole of France, bringing the country's overall total to 91,427.

Prime Minister Jean Castex had on Tuesday said new restrictions could be put in place for the Paris region, similar to the weekend lockdowns already imposed in the Nice and Calais regions.

The dramatic spike in cases on Wednesday could strengthen the case for a new lockdown, even if schools are likely to remain open, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said after a cabinet meeting.

On a visit to hospital outside Paris on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said: "We will take the decisions that need to be taken."

France is trying to ramp up its vaccination campaign, despite a temporary suspension of the Astra-Zeneca jab, pending a ruling by the European Medicines Agency on its possible side effects.

In all, just over 5.5 million people in France have had at least one vaccine shot, and nearly 2.4 million have received both doses, according to official data.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE