COVID-19: ICU cases in France stay below 1,000 mark

The number of fatalities and infections from the novel coronavirus in France remained low on Wednesday, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

At least 34 deaths in hospital were registered on Wednesday, a drop of 19 over those reported on Tuesday. The total number of fatalities to date in hospital is 18,935 and that in nursing homes stands at 10,350.

Since the start of the outbreak, the death toll in France stands at 29,319 with cases of infection rising substantially, to 155,136, an increase of 545 cases over the previous day.

The number of hospitalizations decreased on Wednesday with cases coming in at 11,678, a drop by 283 patients on the day before. Those in intensive care again stayed below 1,000 cases, standing at 933, down by 22 patients over Tuesday.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the beginning of record-keeping for the disease, 71,832 people have recovered in France from the epidemic and have returned home.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to 188 countries and regions across the world. The US, Brazil, Russia and several European countries are the worst-hit areas.

The pandemic has killed more than 413,000 people worldwide, with over 7.29 million cases, while over 3.4 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.