France reports 218 new fatalities, daily deaths drop

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - France reported 218 new fatalities on Friday, a drop of 87 from the previous day, a health official said.

In daily press briefing, Jerome Salomon, France's director general of health, said the death toll has risen to 24,594, with infections at 130,185.

The total fatalities in hospitals to date are 15,369 and in nursing homes 9,225.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the start of the outbreak, 50,200 people have recovered in France and have returned home.

Hospitalizations dropped on Friday to 25,887, a decrease of 396 patients from the previous day. The number of those in intensive care fell to 3,878, down by 141 patients.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to 187 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 235,000 people, with total infections topping 3.3 million, while over 1 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.