Asked about a news channel, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran estimated that the peak of contamination from the fifth wave of Covid was behind us. “We did the hardest part of this wave,” he added, adding that the peak of hospitalization is coming.
“The worst is behind us”, for this 5th wave of the Covid epidemic, said Minister of Health Olivier Véran on Wednesday, estimating that we had “exceeded the peak of contaminations” and that we were reaching the peak of hospitalizations. “Across the country, we have passed the peak of contaminations (…) We are reaching the peak of hospitalizations”, declared the minister on BFM TV. “We did the hardest part of this wave”.
“At least one in two French people” has had Covid since the start of the epidemic
In addition, the minister said that a third of the 32,700 patients currently in hospital with a Covid diagnosis were not there because of the Covid but for another reason. For “one in three patients” counted among those hospitalized, “his hospitalization has nothing to do” with the Covid, he said. According to Olivier Véran, “at least one in two French people” has had Covid since the start of the epidemic, which started almost two years ago. Regarding contamination by the Omicron variant, less dangerous than the previous variant but infinitely more contagious, the minister mentioned a figure of 15 million people affected.
32,720 patients are currently in hospital with a Covid diagnosis
32,720 patients are currently in hospital with a Covid diagnosis (including 3,230 admissions in the past 24 hours) compared to 32,894 on Tuesday and 30,624 a week ago, according to figures published Wednesday evening by Public Health France. Critical care services received 3,700 patients (including 366 admissions) against 3,751 on Tuesday and 3,712 a week ago. The number of new cases stood at 315,363. On average over seven days, 306,076 cases have been recorded against 365,130 a week ago.