COVID-19: France reports 35 fatalities, infections down

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - At the end of France's third week in confinement, both fatalities and infections of the novel coronavirus have fallen. The latest statistics were reported by France's Ministry of Health.

A total of 35 deaths in hospitals were registered on Sunday, a drop by 22 cases over those reported on Saturday. The total number of fatalities to date in hospitals is 18,475 and the total in nursing homes is 14,113.

Since the start of the outbreak, the death toll in France stands at 28,802 with cases of infection rising slightly to 151,753, an increase of 257 cases over the previous day.

The number of hospitalizations rose slightly on Sunday with cases standing now at 14,322, rising by 58 patients on the day before. Those in intensive care fell to 1,319, down by 6 patients over Saturday.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the beginning of record-keeping for the disease, 68,355 people have recovered in France and have returned home.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to 188 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed just over 370,000 people worldwide, with total infections reaching almost 6.1 million, while almost 2.6 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.