French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe warned Friday of the danger of a “very high tide” of the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19 epidemic “sweeping France,” noting that "the situation will be difficult in the coming days.”
"A crisis phase has just begun and it will take time under a health condition that will not improve quickly. We must stand up," said Philippe.
According to official figures, on Thursday, 365 people in France have died in hospitals in the past 24 hours.
On Thursday, France announced that 365 people, including a 16-year-old girl, had died from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the highest toll ever recorded in France.
In a related context, the director-general of health, Jerome Salomon, told reporters that the virus had caused the death of 1,696 infected people who were receiving treatment in French hospitals, stressing that the outcome does not include those who died in homes or nursing homes.
He added that 29,155 people were tested positive for the COVID-19 so far in France, pointing out that the true number of infections is higher because only those suffering from symptoms of the disease are subject to testing.
He revealed that a 16-year-old girl had died in the Ile-de-France region in Paris, but he did not give further details about her condition.
France has been locked down since March 17 in an attempt to slow down the spread of the virus, and officials have continuously warned that these measures will take time to bear fruit.
The French are only allowed to go out to shop and do urgent things.
"It is difficult to estimate when we will reach the peak. Now the sick people are infected before the start of the isolation procedures," Salomon explained.
"The coming days will definitely be difficult, but then we all hope that there will be improvement," he added.
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