Fifth-wave coronavirus infections in France are rising at an alarming rate, AFP quoted the government as saying, with new daily Covid cases close to doubling over the past week.
The seven-day average of new cases reached 17,153 on Saturday, up from 9,458 a week earlier, according to the health authorities, an increase of 81 per cent.
“The fifth wave is starting at lightning speed,” government spokesman Gabrial Attal told media.
The latest seven-day increase is three times the average rise of cases recorded over the previous three weeks, indicating an exponential acceleration of infections.