PARIS

At least 574 more people in France died of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 14,967, according to country's Health Ministry on Monday.

The number of cases registered in the country has increased by 4,188 over the last 24 hours, bringing tally to 136,779.

Some 32,113 coronavirus patients are being treated in hospitals, including 6,821 of them in intensive care units, the ministry said, adding that there is a drop in the number of patients in intensive care.

As many as 551 more people discharged from hospitals after their recovery over the past 24 hours, bring the total to 27,718.

It went on to say that there are also tens of thousands of people who got infected and recovered at their homes.

French President Emmanuel Macron in his third primetime TV address on COVID-19 crisis announced an extension in the nationwide coronavirus lockdown until May 11.

Macron said that schools in France will gradually reopen from May 11, but shops, cafes, restaurants and cinemas will remain closed.

He said that the country’s borders with non-European countries will also remain closed until further notice.

Macron also announced that he wants to "massively" cancel the debt of African countries to help them fight the pandemic.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world.

The pandemic has killed over 118,300 people, and infected nearly 1.9 million, while more than 444,400 people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the U.S.' Johns Hopkins University.

* Writing and contributions by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara