France set for third lockdown as ICUs fill

On Friday there was another 145 people moved into intensive care units, the highest daily increase in five months, with 5254 people now in ICU with coronavirus.

The risk of emergency wards being unable to cope was one of the main reasons for President Emmanuel Macron to order a third nationwide lockdown this week.

After unsuccessfully trying to contain the virus with a curfew and regional lockdowns, France will start a third lockdown next week, with schools and non-essential businesses closed nationwide for four weeks.

Macron said the number of ICU beds will be raised from 7000 to over 10,000.

At the peak of the first lockdown in spring 2020, France saw a high of 7148 COVID-19 patients in ICUs, but that fell back to a few hundred in August following the strict first lockdown.

During November's less restrictive lockdown, ICU numbers peaked at just under 5000, but since then they have only briefly dipped below 3000 in December.

With new infections rising sharply, doctors expect the third wave of the virus will peak in the coming two weeks.

On Friday, new confirmed cases jumped by the highest week-on-week rate since the end of November, when France was in its second nationwide lockdown.

The ministry reported 46,677 new cases, 6.2 per cent more than a week ago, and 332 new deaths from COVID-19, taking the toll to 96,280.

The health ministry said 12.1 million people had received a vaccine so far, including just over three million second doses.

Australian Associated Press