ADVERTISEMENT

France New Coronavirus Deaths Fall; Fewer Patients in Hospital

France New Coronavirus Deaths Fall; Fewer Patients in Hospital

(Bloomberg) -- France’s coronavirus-linked deaths fell for the first time in four days on Thursday, after the country reported the biggest increase yet a day earlier. The number of patients in intensive care declined for an eighth day.

Deaths linked to the virus rose to 17,920, Director General for Health Jerome Salomon said at a briefing in Paris, an increase of 753 from figures reported on Wednesday. The number of new infections also rose.

France’s daily coronavirus figures have fluctuated amid inconsistent reporting from nursing homes, which were first included in the tally this month. Wednesday’s numbers, which include nursing-home deaths over several days, pushed the total toward the level of Spain and Italy, the countries in Europe hardest hit by the pandemic.

“The circulation of the virus is stabilizing at a high level,” Salomon said.

The number of people hospitalized in France due to the coronavirus fell for a second day, Salomon said. Patients in ICU beds, an indicator of outbreak’s intensity and its impact on the country’s hospital system, fell by 209 to 6,248, the lowest since April 1.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.