France records over 2000 cases of new COVID-19 variant

Paris, France: There are likely about 2,000 cases of the new variants in France per day, health minister Olivier Véran said, figuring that the number had previously been around 500 earlier this month. It's one of the several disturbing factors in France that could force the government to require stricter standards, with many expecting a decision will come soon. Véran said that France's 6 pm to 6 am curfew was likely having an effect and had allowed the country "to avoid the same epidemic curve seen in many nearby countries".

He added that its effectiveness is "not enough to stop the spread of the virus," primarily with the circulation of more transmissible variants.

Earlier in the week, the President of the government's Scientific Council said a general lockdown would likely be necessary to control the virus's spread.

"If we do not tighten laws, we will find ourselves in a challenging place from mid-March," Professor Jean-François Delfraissy said in an appearance on French broadcaster BFMTV, adding that this week was critical in France's fight against COVID-19.

France has entered a plateau of around 20,000 cases a day, a number that has increased approximately 10% each week for the past three weeks, the health minister said.

Pressure in hospitals is rising with 60% of intensive care units obtained by COVID-19 patients.

Another 250 patients are admitted to intensive care daily with the virus, Véran said. In December, it was 170 patients a day were being admitted.

There are currently 3,100 people in intensive care and 27,000 people hospitalized in France. France was also among the first countries in the region to have coronavirus cases when the disease has only declared an epidemic. The patient was an elderly Chinese tourist who succumbed to death in a hospital in Paris. Since then, France has been among the list of countries severely impacted by the virus.