France is in the midst of the fifth wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) epidemic, according to the country’s health minister, Olivier Veran, raising new concerns for those expecting for a quick conclusion to the sickness. During an interview with TF1 television, the French minister stated that his country is currently in the fifth wave of the epidemic, along with “many [other] neighbouring countries,” and that the virus’s spread is speeding up.
In the TF1 interview, Veran was cited as saying, “Several neighbouring countries are already in a fifth wave of the Covid epidemic, and what we are experiencing in France obviously looks like the beginning of a fifth wave.”
On Wednesday, France’s health ministry reported 11,883 new Covid-19 cases, the second day in a straight that the number of new cases has remained over 10,000. Since mid-October, new coronavirus cases have increased by double digit percentages week after week.
Due to an increase in Covid-19 infection rates in the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that persons aged 65 and up will be required to produce proof of a Covid-19 booster shot in order to visit restaurants, attend cultural events, or travel by train. “You [over 65s] will need to submit proof of a booster vaccine to extend the validity of your health pass starting December 15,” Macron said in a speech to the country, according to the AFP news agency.
Macron also asked the six million people in France who are eligible for the vaccine but have yet to take the first dosage to come forward and get it. “This is a call to action – get vaccinated,” he stated. The French president, warning that the pandemic is far from ending, emphasised that all barriers to protect people from Covid-19 and other contagious winter infections should be prioritised at this time.
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