France reports 46 new fatalities from pandemic

With statistics from COVID-19 having stabilized, country looks to getting back on track

PARIS: A low death toll was once again recorded on Thursday as France recovers from the coronavirus pandemic which plagued the country over the last three months, according to the latest statistics reported by the French Health Ministry.

The country registered a total of 46 deaths in hospitals on Thursday, a drop of 39 cases over those reported on Wednesday.

The total number of fatalities to date in hospitals stood at 18,715 and the total in nursing homes at 10,350.

The death toll from the disease reached 29,065 with cases rising by 767 over the previous day, to hit 152,444.

The number of hospitalizations dropped on Thursday with active infections standing at 13,101, a drop by 413 patients from the day before.

Those in intensive care fell to 1,163, down by 47 patients over Wednesday.

French officials also announced on Thursday that the annual Bastille Day parade down the Champs Elysees on July 14 would be cancelled, and instead be replaced with a smaller celebration on the Place de la Concorde, where the parade traditionally ends.

There will be limited participants and spectators, in accordance with social distancing measures.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the beginning of record-keeping for the disease, 69,976 people have recovered in France from the pandemic 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. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed nearly 388,000 people worldwide, with total infections exceeding 6.57 million, while over 2.83 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.