France is experiencing the start of the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's health minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday, sparking fresh concerns among the ones who were hoping that the end of the pandemic was near. During an interview with the TF1 television, the minister announced that France is now at the beginning of the fifth wave of the corona virus pandemic, much like “several (other) neighbouring countries”, adding that the spread of the infection was increasing.
"Several neighbouring countries are already in a fifth wave of the Covid epidemic, what we are experiencing in France clearly looks like the beginning of a fifth wave,” the French minister was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency in the TF1 interview.
The country's health ministry recorded 11,883 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. It was second consecutive day that the fresh infection tally remained over 10,000. New pandemic cases have also witnessed double-digit percentage increase week-on-week since around mid-October.
Warning that Corona virus infection rates are accelerating again in the nation, French president Emmanuel Macron earlier this week said that the people aged 65 and above in France will require to present a proof of a COVID-19 booster shot in order to be able to visit restaurants, attend cultural events, and travel in intercity trains. “From December 15, you [over 65s] will need to provide proof of a booster jab to extend the validity of your health pass,” he was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency during an address to the country.
The French President also urged his country's six million people eligible for the vaccine who have not even received the first jab yet, to come forward and get vaccinated. “This is an appeal to responsibility – get vaccinated,” Macron said. Warning that the pandemic isn't over yet, he said that all the disease appropriate behavior that protect people from both Covid-19 and other contagious diseases during winters should be given more attention at this time.
(With Agency Inputs)
