(Fighting new crown pneumonia) French confirmed cases break through 50,000 cases Macron calls for intensified production of masks
China News Service, Paris, March 31 (Reporter Li Yang) The cumulative number of confirmed cases of French new crown pneumonia exceeded 50,000 on March 31 local time, and the cumulative death cases exceeded 3,500. French President Macron visited the mask production plant on the same day and demanded that the production of masks be stepped up.
According to the statistics of the epidemic situation released by the Director General of the French Health Agency Salomon, the outbreak in France accelerated on March 31. The number of newly confirmed cases on that day reached 7,578, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases rose to 52,128. On the same day, 499 deaths were added. Cumulative deaths rose to 3,523. The number of new confirmed cases and deaths in a single day is another record.
Salomon said that 22,757 people are currently hospitalized, of which 5,565 are severe cases. He said that 34% of the critically ill patients were under 60 and 68 were under 30. Salomon pointed out that severe cases are currently the most important observation indicator to enable the medical system to judge whether it can withstand the tremendous pressure of intensive care.
According to the latest statistics from the French health department, the number of deaths from new crown pneumonia in the Greater Paris area, which has the worst epidemic in France, exceeded 1,000, reaching 1,148; the number of severe cases has increased to 2,037, further exacerbating concerns about the saturation of the medical system in the Greater Paris area.
French President Macron visited a mask factory near the city of Angers in the western part of France on the same day and asked related companies to step up production of masks to ensure that France can provide adequate medical masks. The mask production plant inspected by Macron that day has been operating for 24 hours and is fully engaged in production.
Macron delivered a live televised speech at the mask production plant, pointing out that before the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, France produced 3.3 million masks per week, and by the end of April, France's mask production will reach 10 million per week. He hopes that the production of masks in France will be self-sufficient by the end of this year.
Macron also announced that the government has allocated 4 billion euros to the public health department to ensure the supply and deployment of medical supplies such as masks. In addition to stepping up mask production, Macron also proposed that France will step up production of ventilators. (Finish)