The French government agrees with a study by analysts from the French School of Public Health (EHESP), which concluded that lockdown measures prevented 60,000 deaths in France, Health Minister Olivier Véran said Friday morning.

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"The Department of Health concurs with the analysis. It is very probable that we have collectively, all the French, saved tens of thousands of lives by respecting confinement, and maybe even more," Véran said on France Inter, adding that the lockdown had prevented the saturation of intensive care units.

The EHESP analysis "demonstrates the need for and success of the containment, which needs to be maintained for several more weeks".

Published on Thursday, the EHESP estimates that one month in lockdown prevented up to 60,000 deaths and that without these measures, more than 100,000 ICU beds would have been needed by April 20. The capacity of French hospitals, which was doubled in preparation for the arrival of the epidemic, is only 10,000 beds.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)

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