The coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 17,920 people in France since the beginning of March, an increase of 753 deaths in 24 hours, indicated on Thursday the Director General of Health Jérôme Salomon.
The number of hospital patients and serious patients in intensive care are both declining again, indicating that "the circulation of the virus is stabilizing at a high level," said number 2 of the Ministry of Health.
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"Several regions are still experiencing tensions"
Of the deaths, 11,060 were recorded in hospitals and 6,860 in medico-social establishments, the majority of which were in nursing homes (Ehpad).
The number of hospitalized patients is down for the second consecutive day, at 31.305, with a negative balance of 474. And the figure of intensive care patients, down since April 9, stands at 6.248, with a negative balance of 209.
This figure still exceeds the number of resuscitation beds that France had before the epidemic (about 5,000) and despite these "slight decreases" several regions are "still experiencing tension" in hospitals, said Professor Salomon.
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Asked about the passage of a possible "peak" of the epidemic, he repeated that, according to the figures, the situation corresponded to a "plateau", calling to continue to respect confinement and barrier gestures.