(Bloomberg) -- Roughly one fifth of people testing positive for coronavirus in France are carrying the omicron variant, while the rate in Paris is already around one third, according to French Health Minister Olivier Veran.
The proportion is expected to rise to about a third nationally within two days and it will represent the majority of cases between Christmas and New Year's, he said on RMC radio on Wednesday.
“We will most likely get to about 100,000 cases a day by the end of the month,” he said, adding that French authorities are watching carefully the health trends in the U.K., which has 10-14 days lead time in terms of progression of the variant over France.
A French cabinet meeting on Wednesday will focus on rolling out a vaccine pass and accelerating jabs including for children aged between five and 11. The government has backed off trying to push through a law that would require inoculation at all workplaces amid opposition from unions and employers.
Patients in intensive care in France are for the most part either unvaccinated or immuno-deficient, Veran said in the interview, adding that while the government isn't planning lockdowns or curfews, all additional restrictions “remain on the table.”
Read more: Omicron at Least Doubles Risk of Getting Infected on a Plane
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