Paris (AFP)
France recorded 3,093 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to data from Public Health France on Saturday, a very low figure due to the Christmas truce.
The number of confirmed cases varies significantly on days when laboratories are closed, such as public holidays, making comparison with previous days difficult.
The positivity rate, which measures the percentage of people positive for Covid-19 out of all those tested, continued to decline to 3.1% against 3.4% the day before and 3.8% on Thursday.
This key indicator stood at 6.4% on December 8, when a new accounting method was introduced.
In total, on the eve of the start of the first vaccinations in France, scheduled for Sunday in two establishments for the elderly, 2.55 million cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed since the start of the epidemic, including more than 20,000 on Friday.
France has recorded 146 additional deaths linked to the virus, for a total of 62,573 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to the health agency.
As for hospital pressure, 101 new patients were admitted to intensive care in 24 hours, down 9.8%, bringing the total in this type of intensive care unit to 2,640 patients.
All services combined, 513 new patients were hospitalized, for a total of 24,444 patients hospitalized for Covid-19, says SpF.
© 2020 AFP