FILE – In this April 1, 2020 file photo, medical staff transfer a patient infected with the coronavirus to a train at the Gare d’Austerlitz train station in Paris. On high-speed trains fitted out like hospitals and military planes, France has moved hundreds of intensive care patients around the country in an exceptional effort to relieve congested hospitals and stay ahead of the fast-moving virus. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (Thomas Samson, Pool via AP, File)
PARIS, France — France on Friday reported 761 more deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals and nursing homes over the last 24 hours, bringing the total toll in the country from the epidemic to 18,681.
But top health official Jerome Salomon told reporters that in more positive news the total numbers in hospital fell for the third day in a row — with 115 fewer patients — and the numbers in intensive care fell for the ninth consecutive day with 221 fewer patients.
The country’s month-long lockdown “is starting to bear fruit,” said Salomon, while urging: “We have to continue our efforts in confinement.”