France reports over 25,000 new COVID-19 infections

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, October 17, 2020
Adjust font size:

PARIS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- France confirmed 25,085 COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, pushing the total count since the epidemic outbreak in the country to 834,770, according to data released on Friday by health authorities.

The number of new infections was lower than a record 30,621 registered on Thursday. Still, it remained at a high level unseen during the first wave.

Coronavirus-related hospitalization data continued its ascent. Up to 9,986 patients were receiving treatment in health establishments on Friday, against 9,605 a day before. The number of those who need intensive care increased by 35 to 1,785.

An additional 122 people had succumbed to the coronavirus infection in one day, taking the total to 33,303. The daily death toll is higher than 88 on Thursday and 104 on Wednesday.

At midnight Friday, a four-week curfew will take effect, locking down 20 million people from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to stem the rapid virus spread and avoid chaos in hospitals.

Inhabitants in nine big cities, including Paris and suburbs, will be allowed to go out at night only to work or for health emergencies.

Some 12,000 police and gendarmes will be mobilized to do the check every night. Anyone who violates the curfew will be fined 135 euros (158 U.S. dollars) and repeated offender, after three times, risks six months in prison plus a 3,750-euro fine, according to the Ministry of Interior.

On Thursday, Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical giant, and U.S. Translate Bio said in a statement that the pre-clinical trials' results of an mRNA-based vaccine developed by the two companies "demonstrated a favorable immune response profile against SARS-CoV-2" in mice and non-human primates.

A Phase 1/2 clinical trial is anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2020, they added.

As of Oct. 15, a total of 42 candidate vaccines were in clinical evaluation worldwide, including several from China, the United Kingdom, Russia, the United States, Belgium and Germany entering Phase 3 trial. Another 156 candidate vaccines were in preclinical evaluation, according to the World Health Organization. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollar) Enditem

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
ChinaNews App Download
Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter