(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) The number of confirmed cases in France exceeds 2 million and the official preparations for vaccination early next year

  China News Agency, Paris, November 17 (Reporter Li Yang) On the 17th local time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in France exceeded 2 million.

French officials revealed on the same day that they are preparing for the launch of new crown vaccination in France early next year.

On October 30, local time, France entered the second nationwide "closed city" in response to the deterioration of the new crown pneumonia epidemic.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Yang

  According to the official epidemic data released that night, France added 45,522 confirmed cases on the 17th, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases exceeded 2 million, reaching 2,036,755.

France has become the fourth country in the world where the cumulative number of confirmed cases exceeds 2 million after the United States, India and Brazil.

There are 46,273 deaths from new coronary pneumonia in France, and 1,219 new deaths.

  The number of hospitalizations and severe cases of COVID-19 in France has declined.

The number of hospitalized patients on the 17th was 33,170, a decrease of 327 from the previous day; the number of severely ill patients is now 4,854, a decrease of 65 from the previous day.

  French government spokesman Attar said on the 17th that officials are preparing for the start of vaccination early next year.

However, he pointed out that the current new crown vaccine is still in the experimental stage, and the effective rate of the vaccine is preliminary, so caution is still needed.

  Attar also said that after the European and French health regulatory authorities approve the use of the vaccine, the official will be ready to start vaccination immediately.

He said that the government has allocated 1.5 billion euros for vaccination related work in next year's budget.

  In terms of the choice of the new crown vaccine, Attar said that the official will choose the vaccine that has the greatest possibility of controlling the epidemic, and that the vaccine "has the least risk to public health."

  At the briefing on the epidemic on the evening of the 17th, Salomon, the director of the French General Administration of Health, said that people's joint efforts to fight the epidemic are paying off.

He called on the public to continue to maintain a high degree of vigilance against the epidemic to ensure that the Christmas holiday is launched under the best health and safety conditions.

  Salomon also revealed that from late September to early November, the number of depression patients in France increased significantly. Among people with financial difficulties, the increase in depression patients was particularly significant.

  The French National Defense Council will meet again on the 18th to discuss the response to the epidemic.

French officials plan to introduce specific control measures for December next week, at which time it will decide whether to continue the "city closure" measures.

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