Great Britain and France record highest daily average of coronavirus infections

(Patria) – Great Britain and France on Thursday recorded the largest increase in the number of Covid-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

More than 16,000 new infections were confirmed in France in the past 24 hours, while the previous daily record of 13,492 was recorded on September 19.

Another 52 people died from coronavirus infection, bringing the total death toll to 31,511.

The number of hospitalizations is also increasing exponentially; in the past week alone, 4,250 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in France, of whom 718 were admitted to intensive care.

At the same time, Great Britain recorded a new daily record of 6,632 new infections on Thursday, while another 40 people died, bringing the total death toll in that country to 41,902 people, the highest in Europe.  

British health experts have warned that the virus is spreading across all age groups and that the population must adhere to measures to curb further spread of the infection.

British pubs, restaurants, and other catering facilities are now operating with reduced hours until 10 PM, while shops that cannot adapt to the measures must temporarily close. Outdoor and indoor gatherings are limited to 6 people from a maximum of two households.

In neighboring France, bars and restaurants in large cities are closing at 10 PM, and gatherings are limited to 10 people.

The strictest measures have been introduced for Marseille and the island of Guadeloupe, where restaurants and bars will be completely closed from Saturday.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which monitors 31 European countries, claims that part of the cause of the 'worrying increase' in infections is non-compliance with restrictive measures, and another part is that the measures may not be sufficient to reduce or control exposure to the virus, writes Euronews.

More than 3 million cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed in Europe, and more than 187,500 deaths.

According to the World Health Organization, the pandemic has claimed at least 972,221 lives, and more than 31.6 million people have been infected.