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HEALTH

Coronavirus death toll in France passes 7,500 as rate of intensive care admissions slows

The number of victims of the coronavirus epidemic in France has risen to 7,560, French health chiefs announced on Saturday, after hospitals and elderly care homes reported hundreds more fatalities. On a more positive note the rate of patients being admitted to intensive care units continued to slow.

Published: 4 April 2020 20:29 CEST
Coronavirus death toll in France passes 7,500 as rate of intensive care admissions slows
Medical staff prepares for the arrival by helicopter of patients infected with COVID-19 at the Nimes air base, south of France, on April 4, 2020. AFP

The death toll includes a further 441 deaths reported in French hospitals in the last 24 hours – less than the record 588 reported on Friday, as well as several hundred more in France's elderly care homes known as Ehpads.

On Saturday evening French health chief Jérôme Salomon announced that the death toll in nursing homes had risen to 2,028. That number had risen from 1,416 on Friday after additional reports from Ehpad homes across the country. 

With 5,532 deaths in hospitals and 2,028 in care homes for the elderly, the overall death toll in France increased by around 1,000 since Friday's reported total.

On Saturday there were 28,143 patients being treated for coronavirus in hospitals across France.

The one positive note was the indication that the number of patients being admitted to intensive care units in French hospitals was slowing.

With 6,838 patients in a serious condition France has never had so many patients in intensive care, said Salomon but he confirmed the numbers were rising by less each day.

The number of patients in intensive care increased by 176 on Saturday, compared to 263 on Friday, 382 on Thursday and 452 on Wednesday.

Some 105 intensive care patients were under the age of 30.

'Stay at home to save lives'

One of the regions which has been hit hard by the epidemic is the greater Paris region of Île-de-France.

Antoine Vieillard-Baron, head of intensive care at the Ambroise-Paré hospital in Paris told BFM TV that the region had seen fewer admissions to intensive care units in the last 24 hours than in previous days.

The regional health authority said the number had risen by 3 percent compared to over 10 percent in recent days.

Some 15,000 patients had also returned home from hospitals across France after recovering from the virus.

Despite the apparent slowing of the rate of intensive care admissions – a key indicator of the progression of the virus according to French health chiefs – Salomon called for “prudence”.

He stressed that the numbers were still rising, albeit at a slower rate. There were signs of hope from neighbouring Italy on Saturday when health chiefs reported that for the first time the number of patients in intensive care actually dropped since the beginning the epidemic.

Salomon said that “now is not the time to let our guard down”.

“I tell you this evening: Stay at home to save lives.”

The health chief added that “France was now entering a period whereby we can assess the impact of confinement.”

France has been in lockdown since March 17 in a bid to slow the spread of the epidemic, with only essential trips allowed that must be justified with a signed piece of paper.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is completely unprecedented with thousands of serious cases and thousands of deaths,” Salomon said.

 

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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 tips to have the best possible night at France’s Fête de la musique

It can be the most fun day of the year - when France goes music crazy and bands suddenly appear on every street corner - but there are some tips to make your Fête de la musique experience as good as it can possibly be.

Published: 24 June 2024 11:26 CEST
5 tips to have the best possible night at France's Fête de la musique

First, a caveat – this is an entirely personal manifesto based on the things that I have enjoyed over my Fête de la Musique outings over the years. It’s not intended as any kind of hard-and-fast rule and plenty of people will have different experiences.

Feel free to disagree and/or share your festival tips in the comments section below!

1 Ignore the big-name artists

There are always a few big-name artists or concerts in major venues on the Fête de la musique (which happens every year on June 21st).

Ignore them. Sure, stadiums gigs can be great and huge venues can have a wonderful atmosphere – but you can do that any night of the year. It’s not what Fête de la musique is about.

The true spirit of the Fête is the smaller acts who play on street corners, in bars and community venues. They’re free, you can wander between them and stay as long as you like – and there is always something else around the corner.

2 Ignore the big towns

You might think that the big cities have the best music, but if you have the choice, go for a small town or a suburb.

I’ve enjoyed some good Fêtes in Paris, but the best experiences had have been smaller towns or the Paris’ suburbs (Montreuil is good – a commune that carefully cultivates a small-town / village vibe, albeit a very diverse small town where everyone is a hippy, a leftist, or both).

It’s partly a practicality thing – in big cities the acts are spread out and you have to make plans to see something and meet up with friends. In small towns, you just wander along to the main square, then when you’ve seen the acts there, you can saunter up the side streets, each of which will have dozens of bands playing, pausing only to grab a beer and snacks.

But it’s also the vibe; in big cities you can hear good live music all the time and the population is consequently complacent – small towns truly appreciate the Fête de la musique and properly go wild.

Once, in Paris, I was watching a blues band play in the street when a woman tipped water on their heads from her apartment window because she was tired and wanted to go to sleep. Small towns appreciate it when bands play for them.

3 Experiment

There’s a lot of variety on the night, so take advantage – this is your opportunity to hear all kinds of live music from rock to swing, jazz to classical, choirs to DJs.

Didn’t think that a five-piece oud band is your thing? Fête de la musique may change your mind. It’s the night of the year when anything goes, musically, so it’s also the night to try something new.

If you hate it – well it’s free and there’s another band down the street that might be more your thing. But you might discover a lifetime passion for oud music – in fact, by this time next year you might be playing in the oud band. Thanks to the Fête de la musique.

4 Don’t insist on quality

You’ll hear some great bands, but you’ll also hear some that are more about enthusiasm – and that’s all part of the fun.

You’re going to be hearing everything from classic rock to reggae to blues to the above-mentioned five-piece oud band, and as well as the styles the quality may be variable to.

For me, the true spirit of Fête de la musique is the 50-year-old accountant rocking out on his guitar and enjoying the one night of the year when he can dream that if only he hadn’t given up on his high school band, he could now be rich, famous and selling out stadiums, as opposed to filing tax declarations in an office above the florist.

5 Dress comfortably

Some people like to dress up for the Fête and that’s great – it’s a party after all – but the key thing is to wear something that is comfortable and allows you to shake your stuff.

Yes, you will be dancing – you’ll be dancing on street corners, in parks, cafés and perhaps on street furniture if things really get going, and you’ll be dancing with kids, dapper 70-year-old gents and everyone in between.

You need comfortable shoes and clothes that you can really move in.

Dance like no-one is watching. They may be watching, but they won’t be judging. Much. It’s Fête de la musique.

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