France Coronavirus Deaths Rise at Slowest Pace in Three Days

(Bloomberg) --

Deaths in France linked to the coronavirus rose at the slowest pace in three days on Wednesday, falling below 300 fatalities. Hospitalizations and the number of patients in intensive care continued their decline of recent weeks.

The number of deaths rose by 278 to 25,809, France’s public health agency said in an e-mailed statement. The number of total coronavirus cases stood at 208,698, up 4,039 from the number of infections reported a day earlier after additional laboratory results were included.

The French government is looking at easing restrictions to limit economic damage as lockdown measures have started slowing the coronavirus outbreak. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is scheduled to provide details on Thursday on the exit from strict confinement starting May 11.

Patients in intensive care because of the virus, which health officials have cited as a key indicator of how the pandemic is impacting France’s hospital system, fell by 283 to 3,147, the biggest decrease yet in the four weeks since the number first started falling. Hospitalizations fell by 792 patients to 23,983.

France’s daily coronavirus figures have fluctuated amid inconsistent reporting from nursing homes, which were first included in the tally last month.

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