France’s Covid-19 death toll now trails just a few hundred behind Spain

By Pepi Sappal • Published: 23 Apr 2020 • 1:55

France’s coronavirus (Covid-19) death toll now just trails a few hundred behind that of Spain.

AROUND 544 people died from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 21,340, making it the country with the fourth-highest Covid-19 fatalities in the world, after Spain, which has a death toll of 21,717. However, France has far fewer people infected with the disease – 155,860 compared to Spain’s 208,389.

On a positive note, the number of people hospitalised and needing intensive care treatment are falling. The number of Covid-19 patients in French hospitals fell by 365 to 29,741 in the last 24 hours. The number of those in intensive care units also fell by 215 to 5,218. There are now almost 2,000 fewer people in ICU compared to 7,148 on April 8.

“The virus keeps circulating at high speed. We must remain careful and strictly respect social distancing rules,” stated Health Ministry Director Jerome Salomon on Wednesday.