PARIS (Reuters) – France’s coronavirus death toll rose by 81 on Wednesday, or 0.3%, to reach 29,021, the fifth-highest death toll in the world, and the number of confirmed cases rose again after they went down Tuesday due to an adjustment in reporting.
The rate of increase has decreased compared to 24 hours earlier, when fatalities were up 0.4%, but it is still higher than the 0.2% daily average seen over the last seven days.
In a statement, the health ministry said the daily death toll only includes hospital fatalities as those occurring in nursing homes will as of now only be included on a weekly basis on Tuesdays.
The number of confirmed cases, which declined by 0.5% Tuesday, was up 0.2% at 151.677.
According to Reuters calculations, if probable cases of coronavirus are added, France’s total number of cases stands at more than 189,000, the eight-highest tally on that basis.
The ministry said the number of people in hospital fell by more than 514, or 3,7%, to 13,514, its steepest decline in percentage points since the downward trend initiated mid-April.
The number of people in intensive care fell by 43, or 3.4%, to 1,210, a figure almost one-sixth of the 7,148 peak reached on April 8.
(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Franklin Paul and Chizu Nomiyama)
