The three doctors worked in the départements of Oise, Haut-Rhin and Moselle in the eastern area of France that was the worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

A general doctor aged 70 died in the hospital in the eastern city of Colmar, also in eastern France, with another doctor aged 68 died in Trevenans just to the south, medical sources and local officials said. 

With a controversy raging about the lack of protective masks for medical staff in France, Véran said most of the medical staff who will contract the virus will be infected outside of their work.

“This week, 20 million masks will be delivered to hospitals and Ephads in France,” Véran said.

The minister said that although protection for frontline staff was “absolutely indispensable”, there had been several cases of doctors and nurses falling ill when they were equipped with masks.

The virus has so far killed 860 people in France with a further 8,675 in hospital, of whom 2,000 are in a serious condition in intensive care.

Hospitals in Mulhouse and Colmar are reported to be a “breaking point” due to the sheer number of cases and a military hospital has set up in Mulhouse, while some patients have been airlifted to some of the less-affected areas of France, or over the border to Germany.

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