French average of new COVID-19 cases drops below 5,000 for first time since mid-July

France’s seven-day average number of new COVID-19 cases fell below 5,000 again for the first time since July 13, data from the Ministry of Health released on Friday showed.

The department reported 4,935 news cases on Friday, bringing the total to 7.02 million, and the seven-day moving average, which mitigates daily reporting irregularities, decreased by 135 to 4,967, Reuters reported.

After the third shutdown in the spring, the average daily new cases fell below 2,000 by the end of June, but a new, more contagious type of virus sent the infection rate back up to nearly 24,000 by mid-August.

Since then, it has been gradually declining again as the introduction of a mandatory health permit to enter restaurants and other public places gave a new impetus to France’s vaccination campaign.

The number of people in hospitals with COVID-19 continued to decline on Friday, and the ministry also reported 49 new deaths, bringing the cumulative toll since the beginning of the epidemic to 116,739 deaths.

NS