France reports record 100K new COVID cases amid omicron surge
DANIEL COLE / AP
Emergency room nurse Sonia Harrat takes a break while working on Christmas day at the la Timone hospital in Marseille, southern France, Saturday, Dec. 25.
(Bloomberg) — France reported a daily record of more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases as President Emmanuel Macron weighs measures to contain the fast-spreading omicron variant.
COVID-19 cases totaled 104,611 on Saturday, according to data from the public health office, topping the 94,124 infections logged the previous day. The country reported 84 deaths.
Macron, who is widely expected to seek a second term in April’s election, will convene his health defense council on Monday to discuss the coronavirus. The government intends to adopt a system requiring people to be fully vaccinated to enter bars, restaurants and cultural venues starting as soon as early January to help slow the spread, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Tuesday.
Health Minister Olivier Veran predicted earlier this week that the omicron strain will become dominant in France during the period from Christmas to New Year’s Day. Omicron has also driven cases to records in the U.K. and Italy.
More than 16,000 people are currently hospitalized for COVID in France, including some 3,300 in intensive care. There have been more than 122,500 deaths.
