PARIS

The weekend saw very low numbers both in fatalities and new infections in France as it recovers from months of battling the coronavirus.

According to the latest statistics reported by the Health Ministry, a total of 24 deaths in hospital were registered on Saturday, a rise of only nine cases over those reported on Friday. The total number of fatalities to date in hospitals is 18,994 and the total in nursing homes stands at 10,350.

Since the start of the outbreak, the death toll in France stands at 29,398 with cases of infection rising to 156,813, an increase of 526 cases over the previous day.

The number of hospitalizations decreased on Saturday with cases coming in at 10,864, a drop by 215 patients the day before. Those in intensive care fell to 843, down by eight patients over Friday.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the beginning of record-keeping for the disease, 72,798 people have recovered in France from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus,and have returned home.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19 has spread to 188 countries and regions across the world. The US, Brazil and Russia are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed nearly 428,000 people worldwide, with total infections reaching just over 7.71 million, while over 3.66 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.