France has recorded more than 14,000 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours, a figure slightly down from the last 48 hours, but the positivity rate continues to increase, according to data released Saturday evening by Public Health France .
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The number of new cases stood at 14,412 over the past 24 hours, compared to some 16,000 cases every day, Friday and Thursday.
On the other hand, the positivity rate continues to rise steadily. The percentage of people infected among those tested is 7.2%, according to Saturday’s figure.
While new restriction measures were announced this week in an attempt to stem the outbreak, 39 people have died in the past 24 hours. They were 56 over the previous 24 hours.
Over the last seven days, 4,102 new hospitalizations were recorded, including 763 serious cases in intensive care.
Since the start of the epidemic, at least 31,700 people have died from causes related to the coronavirus.
The COVID-19 epidemic in France is in “an ascending phase”, Public Health France warned Friday. Among the “worrying” points, the health agency notes the “increasingly strong circulation” of the virus among the elderly.