When we look at what is happening in France, there are a couple of interesting things happening regarding the second wave of the Coronavirus.

If we take a look at the charts provided by World O Meter, there has been a huge spike in cases of COVID in France, even exceeding the first wave.

Now there could be a couple of reasons for this.

• First a second wave was expected as people left the lockdown and became exposed to the virus.
• Secondly, there is also more testing. They are finding people with COVID who weren’t sick enough to see a doctor. These people weren’t being tested in the first wave, but are being tested now. We know that 80% of the people who come down with the virus show little or no symptoms.

Though there has been a huge spike in new cases, the number of deaths from COVID during the second wave has not kept pace, so far anyway. It is not even close compared to the first round.

There could be several reasons for this:

• Doctors are learning the most effective ways to treat the virus.
• People catching the virus are seeking medical help sooner.
• It is also probable that as the lock down ended and people returned to work, many of the new cases involve younger people, who are simply not vulnerable to the virus.
• We also know that those with underlying health conditions and the elderly are the ones most vulnerable to COVID, and more attention is focussed on keeping them safe.