PARIS

France saw a drop in fatalities from coronavirus on Saturday indicating the peak of the outbreak has been reached.

There were 378 new deaths from COVID-19, a trend that continued downward each day of this week.

The death toll from the virus now stands at 22,614, with 14,050 deaths in hospitals and 8,564 in nursing homes.

Meanwhile, the tally of cases stands at 124,114.

On Saturday, hospitalizations also showed a decrease at 28,222, a drop of 436 from Friday.

The number of those in intensive care fell to 4,725, down by 145 patients.

Since the beginning of March, a total of 44,594 people have returned home after making a full recovery.

France's lockdown will continue until May 11, whereupon schools will gradually open followed by cafes, restaurants, and bars.

Globally, infections have surpassed 2.86 million, with the death toll above 200,000, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Recovery is very possible, even for those once very sick, as just over 800,000 people have now recovered from coronavirus since the start of the outbreak, the data shows.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover in due time.