Paris -France’s Health Minister, Olivier Veran, warned on Sunday of the danger of growing transmission of the coronavirus from the young to older, more vulnerable people.
“The virus is circulating four times more often among people younger than 40 years of age than among those over 65,’’ Veran told the newspaper Journal du Dimanche.
“If the spread of the virus accelerates among younger people, there is a risk that older people, who are more likely to get the more severe form of COVID-19, will be infected.’’
“We are in a risky situation,’’ emphasised the minister.
France has seen the number of new infections rising again in recent weeks.
Veran noted that this was not a “repetition” of the pandemic, as it has never stopped.
However, the situation is not the same as it was in February.
The virus is now circulating more among younger people who, although more often showed no symptoms, are not, therefore, immune, the minister said.
Testing capacity has also increased since the onset of the pandemic, he added.
France has been hard hit by the pandemic, with more than 30,500 deaths recorded to date.
The country reported 4,586 new infections on Friday.
Several departments and cities – including the capital Paris – have been classified as zones where the virus is actively circulating.
(dpa/NAN)
