Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in France - Statistics & Facts
France detected the first European case of COVID-19 in late January 2020. The epidemic took off in early March 2020. By December 2023, France had registered close to 39 million infections, with the pandemic causing nearly 168,000 deaths in the country. As of May 2023, there were 12,700 patients currently hospitalized with a COVID-19 infection and 710 COVID-19 patients in intensive care.
Vaccination campaign
France launched its vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on December 27, 2020. The first vaccine approved by the French health authorities was the German-American vaccine developed by BioNTech-Pfizer. As of July 2023, France fully vaccinated approximately 41 million people (three doses), close to 55 million have received at least one dose, and 54 million have received two doses. In January 2023, the share of the French population vaccinated against COVID-19 with three doses reached 79 percent, yet varied greatly from one region to another. As of that date, Brittany was the region with the highest vaccination rate in the European country.Preventive measures
Although most French people reacted favorably to measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, their confidence in their government to effectively manage the crisis was somewhat mixed. While the gradual disappearance of the lockdowns and curfews was mainly received favorably by the French population, the adoption of preventive measures was not always systematic among people. In September 2023, a survey on the systematic adoption of preventive measures in France revealed that 15 percent of French people still systematically wore a face mask in public spaces, while 60 percent of respondents were willing to adopt preventive measures if needed.
