Covid-19: France reports 134 fatalities at week's end

Progress in fight against the pandemic continues, leaving behind first unsteady week out of lockdown

PARIS: Novel coronavirus-related deaths in France took a nosedive on Friday, dropping to 134 fatalities from the previous day's 220, according to the latest figures reported by the country's Ministry of Health.

Deaths in hospitals stood at 120 people with only 14 patients having died in nursing homes. The total number of fatalities in hospitals is 17,342, while the total in nursing homes was 10,187.

The overall death toll in France now stands at 27,529, with total cases at 141,919 -- a rise of 563 in the past 24 hours.

Hospitalisations also continued to fall on Friday, with cases standing now at 19,861, a decrease of 602 patients. The number of those in intensive care fell to 2,203, down by 225 patients over Thursday.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the beginning of the outbreak, 60,448 people have recovered in France from the epidemic and 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. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 305,000 people, with total infections reaching just over 4.5 million, while worldwide recoveries exceed 1.6 million, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.