French coronavirus death toll rises, intensive care numbers down
The number of people who died in France from the coronavirus infection in hospitals and nursing homes reached 17,167 on Wednesday, the head of the public health authority said. The number of people in intensive care units fell to 6,457, a drop of 273, director general of health Jerome Salomon said.
- World
- AFP
- Published Date: 09:05 | 15 April 2020
- Modified Date: 09:33 | 15 April 2020
Over 17,000 people have now died in France from COVID-19, a top health official said on Wednesday, but the the total number currently hospitalised has fallen for the first time since the epidemic began.
A total of 17,167 people are now confirmed to have died in France in hospitals and nursing homes, Jerome Salomon told reporters, compared with a total toll of 15,729 the day earlier. But he said the difference did not represent a daily toll due to the delayed collation of data from the Easter weekend.
In better news, he said there were currently 513 fewer coronavirus patients in hospital since the day before. "It remains very high but... the total shows for the first time a fall thanks to people who have been discharged."