Delta variant now represents a third of French COVID-19 cases – minister

People walk without protective face masks as they are no longer required outdoors amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Paris, France, June 17, 2021. (REUTERS)

PARIS — The Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus now represents around a third of COVID cases in France, said French Health Minister Olivier Veran on Friday.

Veran’s latest estimate on the highly transmissible Delta variant, first found in India, compared to an earlier estimate he made on June 29, when said it represented around 20% of French cases.

“There is a real risk that the epidemic will pick up again this summer in France,” said Veran, as he urged as many French people as possible to get the COVID vaccine jab, while on a visit to a health center in France.