COVID-19: France sees sharp decline in daily fatalities

PARIS

France on Saturday saw a sharp decline in fatalities from the coronavirus, registering 81 fatalities over the past 24 hours, down from 250 a day earlier, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

The death toll in France stands at 26,310, with the total number of cases reaching 138,854.

As many as 77 people died in hospitals stand, while only four people were reported to have succumbed to the disease in nursing homes. The total number of fatalities in hospital to date is 16,573 and the total number of deaths in nursing homes is 9,737.

The number of hospitalizations dropped again on Saturday, with cases standing now at 22,547, a reduction of 177 patients over Friday. The number of those in intensive care fell to 2,812, down by 56 patients.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the beginning of record-keeping for the disease, 56,029 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 187 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 277,600 people, with total infections nearing 4 million, while over 1.34 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.