An accordion player wears a protective facemask as he performs on a street in Antwerp, Belgium. Pic/AFP
France has reported 2,288 new Coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily spike since the end of April. In the past week, France registered more than 9,330 new infections, bringing the country's total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 1,97,921, the health ministry said on Friday.
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Since May 9, when the French government started a gradual de-confinement, some 787 clusters have been detected, of which 288 remained active. Over the past 24 hours, 21 clusters were identified, the ministry said on Friday.
"The indicators are deteriorating, confirming a more active circulation of the virus throughout the territory, especially among young people," the health ministry warned.
"We must strengthen vigilance, mobilise ourselves to respect barrier measures, common sense gestures in the fight against the epidemic," it said.
As of Friday, the number of hospitalised COVID-19 patients fell by 49 to 5,011, continuing a downward trend of two-and-a half months. Currently, 383 people need intensive care, seven fewer than the number on Thursday, while 12 additional Coronavirus-related fatalities were recorded, bringing the total deaths to 30,324.
French scientists expected a second wave of the virus could hit the country in autumn as a result of social mixing and absence of distancing measures during the summer holidays.
15 cases of poisoning from ingesting alcohol-based sanitisers in US
Washington: The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed 15 cases of methanal poisoning due to ingesting alcohol-based hand sanitisers.
The 15 cases, including four deaths, were reported in the states of Arizona and New Mexico from May through June 30. Among the survivors, three had seizures when they were hospitalised, while three others lost their eyesight.
Cuomo clears NYC schools statewide to open, carefully
New York's governor said on Friday that he would allow children statewide to return to classrooms for the start of the new school year, citing the state's success in battling the pandemic. The announcement by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo clears the way for schools to offer at least some days of in-person classes, alongside remote learning. "Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established," Cuomo said.
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