France reports 13 more virus deaths in dramatic drop

PARIS

France saw a dramatic drop in fatalities from coronavirus on Sunday, with 13 more deaths reported over the past day, the Health Ministry said.

This was a fall of 22 deaths from Saturday.

The nationwide death toll from the virus has reached 29,155.

Meanwhile, new infections have also slowed down significantly with 343 cases over the past day, taking the overall tally to 153,977.

The number of hospitalizations were down on Sunday at 12,461, a drop of 15 patients from the day before. Those in intensive care fell to 1,053, down by six patients from the past day.

With fatalities from the virus subsiding, French health officials shut the temporary morgue set up in a vacant building in the Rungis wholesale food market south of Paris. The facility was set up in April at the height of the pandemic when deaths were mounting.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the start of the outbreak, 70,842 people have recovered in France from the virus and have returned home.

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

The pandemic has now killed more than 400,000 people worldwide, with total infections reaching over 6.9 million, while over 3.1 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.