On Sunday October 25th France recorded a new grim record of over 52,000 positive Covid-19 infections in just one day.
It was confirmation, if it was even needed, that the infection rate in France had rocketed in recent weeks and forced the government to consider new restrictions and perhaps even a return to confinement.
The explosion of the second wave has taken the government and health chiefs by surprise. The speed at which the epidemic has made a resurgence can be seen in detailed maps.
Photo: Screen grab Santé Publique France
Back then, most areas were coloured white, which meant they had registered incidents rates below 10, which is low enough for them not to be considered at high risk for Covid-19 spread.
Towns and cities coloured light blue had an incidence rate between 10 and 20, which is not seen as alarming either, but a warning sign that the virus is spreading with increased pace.
The slightly darker blue tone refers to incident rates between 20 and 50, while mid blue means between 50 and 150, and the near-darkest blue tone between 150 and 250.
Areas coloured dark blue on the map had an incidence rate above 250, which is one of the thresholds the government has set for an area to tip into maximum alert level, which leads to new restrictions and a 9pm evening curfew.
One week later, between October 1st and October 7th, the dark blue areas had expanded.
Photo: Screen grab Santé Publique France
One week after that, between October 8th and October 14th, this was the situation:
Photo: Screen grab Santé Publique France
Between October 15th and October 21st a lot more of the country had turned dark blue.
Photo: Screen grab Santé Publique France
The newest version of the map is based on data between October 22nd and October 26th, and has few white spots left.
France on October 26th counted 17,761 Covid-19 hospital patients, a number that has soared over the same time period as the one shown in the map, and is growing with increasingly rapid pace.
In the last week of October hospitals in France were admitting over 2,000 new Covid-19 patients every day, up from 1,133 on October 14th, 789 on October 7th, 650 on September 30th.
The graphic below shows the development of the total number of hospital patients in France since late March.
These numbers are especially worrying because hospital admissions and intensive care admissions do not increase simultaneously.
"When hospital numbers increase, we know that this leads to an increase in intensive care admissions within 15 days," virologist Catherine Hill told French media.
Intensive care rates best indicate the gravity of the Covid-19 situation in the country, because they are the last ones to rise before deaths. France also has a limited number of intensive care beds (5,800 in total, up from 5,100 in March).
READ ALSO: Can France's intensive care units cope with the Covid-19 second wave?
France on October 26th counted 2,761 intensive care patients, however the number is growing with increasingly rapid pace.
Hospitals admitted 135 new patients into intensive care wards on September 30th, 143 on October 7th, 193 on October 14th, 284 on October 21st and 357 on October 26th.
Hill is one of several academics who has said he government must take drastic measures urgently to reverse the trend before it's too late.
"It is extremely urgent to confine the country. Failing to do so would guarantee that we run straight into the wall," she said.
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