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PARIS: France on Wednesday (May 13) reported a drop in COVID-19 deaths over the past 24 hours compared with previous days, as its overall toll passed the 27,000 mark.
The new deaths brought the total toll in hospitals and nursing homes from the pandemic in France to 27,074, the health ministry said.
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But the ministry also acknowledged a counting error has revised down the toll in nursing homes by 15 people from the day earlier, adding it did not yet have a toll from nursing homes for Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: A health worker stores samples in the COVID-19 test department of the Broussais Hospital as the lockdown introduced two months ago to fight the spread of the coronavirus starts to ease in Paris, France. (Alain Jocard / Pool via REUTERS)
It said that over the last 24 hours, 98 people had died in hospital.
READ: France’s bookstores fight for survival after COVID-19 lockdown
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According to the health ministry’s official toll, this means 83 people were registered to have died over the last 24 hours, compared with 348 the previous day.
Recent positive trends continued, with 114 fewer people in intensive care for a total of 2,428, a figure that exceeded 7,000 at the peak of the crisis.
There were still 21,071 coronavirus patients in hospital, a net drop of 524 from a day earlier.
The latest figures came as France on Wednesday enjoyed the third day of the partial easing of a nationwide lockdown imposed on Mar 17 to battle the virus.
READ: Coronavirus may never go away, says WHO
In a meeting with regional leaders, President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that France faced a tricky balancing act by seeking to kick-start economic activity while preventing an upsurge in new virus cases.
“This partial reopening of the economy while still trying to keep the epidemic under control is unprecedented,” he said.
“That’s the collective challenge we’re facing.”
Adding that the measures could be tightened again if needed, I added: “It is too early to declare victory.”
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