France's death toll rises above 28,000 from Covid-19 with new clusters reported
The death toll from Covid-19 has now passed 28,000 in France, according to new figures from the health ministry. This comes as authorities attempt to contain new clusters of the virus, two of them reported in abattoirs.
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The latest daily toll of 483, the largest in several weeks, was made up mainly of deaths in care homes for the elderly: 429 deaths, compared to only 54 in hospitals, bringing the total to 28,108.
France's health directorate (DGS) said that the figures had been updated from those provided by the regional health authorities, and figures from care homes have been corrected in recent days.
Despite this, the toll in France continues to fall in terms of hospital deaths and admissions for the coronavirus.
Four regions, in the north and the east of the country, including the Paris region, account for 74 percent of the number of people being treated in hospital.
Since the epidemic began in France, 98,569 people have been hospitalised, of whom 17,500 had to be treated in intensive care.
More than 61,000 have recovered and been allowed home.
French abattoir clusters
Health officials meanwhile were battling to contain two outbreaks of the virus at abattoirs that are so far known to have infected around a hundred people.
One abattoir is in the Côtes d'Armor area, in the northwestern region of Brittany.
The first case was detected at a hospital in Saint-Brieuc on Wednesday. Very quickly, the company put in to place testing for all employees at the site.
Regional health officials said 63 of the 209 workers had so far tested positive for the virus.
Cluster in Orléans
The other cluster is at an abattoir in Fleury-les-Aubrais, near Orleans in the central Val de Loire region.
Officials there said they had detected 34 cases among the 400 workers. Another 40 were tested on Sunday with others following on Tuesday. The abattoir has been closed
"According to the company's human resources department, there were masks, gels, temperature readings at the entrance to the slaughterhouse and it seems that the protocol was followed," said regional prefect Pierre Pouessel, who added that the site would be closed until at least 25 May while tests were analysed.
The local authorities said they were identifying the number of contacts which each infected person would have had, estimated at 10-15 people, who will be put into quarantine.
Cases in abattoirs in Germany
Elsewhere, in Germany, 90 employees at an abattoir in Dissen, in the northwest have tested positive for Covid-19, according the local authorities on Monday.
The government has already announced it would be applying stricter hygiene measures to the sector due to concerns over new clusters.
Scientists in France have been warning that a second wave is highly likely in the coming weeks as lockdown measures are lifted.
Their recent studies reveal that so far, only 4.4 percent of the population has been infected by the coronavirus, far from the 60-70 percent rate of group immunisation needed to slow down the contagion.
France's health minister Olivier Véran told the Journal du Dimanche that up to 50,000 tests had been carried out daily and the capacity was increasing.
He indicated that new figures on the number of cases since lockdown measures were lifted on 11 May would be available in 10-15 days time, as well as information about a possible second wave of the virus.
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