The number of deaths caused by the novel coronavirus in France topped 79,000 since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, official figures showed on Monday.
The country counted 458 new fatalities in the past 24-hour period, bringing the national death toll to 79,423, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Another 4,317 people tested positive for the virus within one day, compared to 19,715 confirmed on Sunday. The rise of new cases tends to slow down on Mondays as fewer people conduct tests at the weekend.
The cumulative number of cases in France now rises to 3.3 million. Of them, 28,037 people are treated in hospitals, up by 343 in one day.
Since France launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign in late December, over 1.92 million people have received their first shot, and 296,265 had their second.
Early on Monday, Health Minister Olivier Veran was given his first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine in a vaccination centre in Melun, southeastern Paris.
The 40-year-old minister, also a neurologist, belongs to a priority group for vaccination along with health staff and people with co-morbidities aged under 65.
"I invite all caregivers to be vaccinated in hospitals, vaccination centers... to be protected as quickly as possible," Veran told reporters shortly after his inoculation.
"I am vaccinated but I still wear the mask. I put on hydroalcoholic gel, I respect all barrier gestures, I don't relax vigilance," he added.
France aims to inoculate all the citizens over 65 by the end of May and all adults before September.
--IANS
int/rs
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU