Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

France announces record of nearly 370,000 Covid cases in one day

Latest figure up 10% on previous record

Liam James
Tuesday 11 January 2022 20:54 GMT
Comments
Parisians wait outside a pharmacy for Covid tests
Parisians wait outside a pharmacy for Covid tests (AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

France reported a record 368,149 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday.

The previous record of 332,252 new cases in one day was set on 5 January, since when France has recorded another two days with totals above 300,000.

The highly contagious Omicron is the dominant variant in France and has driven the extraordinary case numbers seen lately.

Hospitalisations have also been rising amid the case surge. On Monday, there were 22,749 people in hospital with coronavirus, up 726 on the day before. This was the biggest increase since April 2021.

French hospital data, which unlike the UK, breaks down admissions by coronavirus variant reflects the understanding of Omicron as causing a milder illness.

Data from the end of December shows that patients infected with Omicron mainly go to conventional hospital settings rather than critical care, with the new variant making up 54 per cent of those admitted to the former and only 19 per cent of patients admitted to the later.

Olivier Veran, the French health minister, had expected Tuesday’s figure to be the highest ever. Before the data was released, he said: Another 350,000 new infections will be reported this evening, even a little more than that. We have never before seen such numbers since the start of the health crisis.”

By mid-January, the government aims to introduce a vaccine pass that will make inoculation mandatory for anyone wanting to go to restaurants or attend indoor events.

Until now, proof of vaccination or a recent negative test have been sufficient.

The government on Monday lifted requirements for schoolchildren to take a PCR test if a classmate is infected with the virus. From now on, three negative self-tests will be proof that a child is safe to go to school, the government said.

The surge in cases had led to chaos and paralysis in French schools over the last week.

Jean Castex, the French prime minister, said all schools would have been closed in days if they had continued to close after one case.

Additional reporting by agencies

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in