COVID-19: France reports 67 new deaths

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - The number of fatalities from the coronavirus in France continues to descend as the week progresses, according to the latest statistics from the country’s Ministry of Health.

A total of 67 fatalities were registered in hospital on Wednesday, a drop by 25 cases over those reported on Tuesday. The total number of fatalities to date in hospital is 18,260 and the total in nursing homes is 10,335.

Since the start of the outbreak, the death toll in France stands at 28,596, with cases of infection rising to 145,746, an increase of 191 cases over the previous day.

The number of hospitalizations dropped significantly on Wednesday, with cases standing now at 15,680, down by 584 patients on the day before. Those in intensive care fell to 1,501, down by 54 patients over Tuesday.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the beginning of record-keeping for the disease, 66,854 people have recovered in France from the epidemic 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 almost 353,000 people, with total infections reaching nearly 5.64 million, while over 2.32 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.