> En outre, l’épidémie de grippe hivernale amorcée fin 2016 a entraîné un pic de décès exceptionnel en janvier 2017 : 67 000 décès en France métropolitaine ce mois-ci.
I disagree with your reading. Specifically, it doesn't say that 67,000 people died of the flu, it says that 67,000 people died. The entire report is about all-cause mortality, and so is that sentence. The flu was the reason for a spike in deaths, but it was not the cause of all 67,000 deaths in France that month.
What I believe to be a more accurate translation:
"In addition, the winter flu epidemic that began at the end of 2016 led to an exceptional peak in deaths in January 2017: 67,000 deaths in mainland France this month."
INSEE is the official French statistics agency.
Sorry this is in French:
> En outre, l’épidémie de grippe hivernale amorcée fin 2016 a entraîné un pic de décès exceptionnel en janvier 2017 : 67 000 décès en France métropolitaine ce mois-ci.
Source: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3629105
It basically says there was an exceptional peak of 67k deaths due to the flu for the month of January 2017.