France Coronavirus Deaths Climb to 14,967 as ICU Cases Decline

(Bloomberg) -- France reported an increase in new coronavirus deaths Monday, while the number of intensive-care patients dropped for a fifth day.

Deaths linked to the virus rose by 574 to 14,967, the health ministry said in an emailed statement, with the daily toll rising for the first time in four days. New recorded cases rose by 4,188 to 136,779.

“The dynamic observed in recent days thus seem to be confirmed: the impact of the epidemic is major and France is currently in a ‘high plateau’ phase,” the health ministry said.

The ministry said on Sunday that confinement measures were producing their first results, even as hospitals cope with a “very large number” of patients. In neighboring Spain, Health Minister Salvador Illa said the country had overcome the peak of the epidemic.

French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to address the nation shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday. The president could announce an extension of lockdown measures until at least mid-May, Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The number of patients in intensive care, cited by French health authorities as a gauge of the outbreak’s intensity, fell to 6,821, the lowest since April 3.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.