PARIS, July 5 (Xinhua) -- France on June 30 lifted all coronavirus-related restrictions citing the continuing drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases across the country. The government has expected to resuscitate the tourism industry and keep the virus at bay by pressing on with its vaccination campaign.
However, during the first few days of July, the fast-spreading Delta variant has already caused infections to spike again. Experts believe that with the spread of this new strain the pandemic would pick up speed soon, while vaccine rollout is slowing, dampening the country's hopes for a rebound summer.
In a Twitter message on Sunday, Health Minister Olivier Veran warned of the risk of a resurgence of COVID-19 as early as in July, two months earlier than previously projected by scientists.
"For five days, (the number of new cases) hasn't come down -- it's rising again because of the Delta variant, which is very contagious," Veran said. "The English example shows that a fourth wave is possible from the end of July."
The minister's warning was echoed by Professor Djillali Annane, head of resuscitation at Raymond-Poincare University Hospital in Garches in the department of Hauts-de-Seine.
"All the factors are present for a fourth wave," Annane told BFMTV news channel on Monday. "We will see in the next few weeks an increase in the daily number of new infections. It is almost inevitable."
He also noted that the vaccination rate is the lowest among people aged between 15 and 30, who are the most exposed to the Delta variant.
In France, the new coronavirus strain is now responsible for a third of all new infections, up from 20 percent estimated on June 29, according to official data.
In the greater Paris region, which is France's main economic hub and most populated zone, 46.6 percent of the new infections were already attributable to the Delta variant on July 2. The early June figure was three percent.
On Sunday, France's health authorities reported 2,549 new COVID-19 cases, up from 1,578 registered a week earlier. The seven-day average of daily new cases stood at 2,311, against 1,815 a week earlier.
Since mid-May, France has allowed its 67 million population to visit shops, cinemas and theaters again. The country has fully reopened its catering businesses and lifted the nationwide night-time curfew that had been in place since October 2020.
In June, France administered an average 167,524 COVID-19 vaccines per day, sharply down from the 450,000 doses administered per day in May, according to the Public Health Agency.
The vaccination rate remains alarmingly low among medical staff and care workers. Less than 60 percent of nursing home workers and less than 64 percent of hospital workers have been vaccinated.
"This is clearly insufficient," commented Alain Fischer, France's vaccination chief. These workers must get vaccinated "to protect patients. It is a principle of responsibility and example setting."
He told the weekly Le Journal de Dimanche on Sunday that vaccination should be mandatory for all workers who come in contact with the public, and especially so for health workers.
To date, 34.54 million people, or 51.2 percent of France's adult population, have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and 24.43 million, both doses.
The French government aims to administer 40 million first vaccine doses and have 35 million people fully vaccinated by the end of August. However, herd immunity can only be achieved if at least 75 percent of the eligible population is vaccinated.
"We must move even faster (on vaccination). Our country is in a race against time," the health minister said.
"It is a collective challenge to achieve collective immunity. Let's meet it together," Veran said on Sunday. Enditem
