Coronavirus: France reports 6th death, cases rising

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - Two more people died Thursday in France from the novel coronavirus, bringing the current death toll to six, the Health Ministry announced.

The fatalities included a 73-year-old, a native of the Oise, and a 64-year-old from Aisne, both in northern France.

Meanwhile, the number of cases leaped to 377 from 285 reported earlier in the day.

Thursday's increase -- 92 additional cases -- is the largest single-day jump in France since the start of the epidemic in China late December.

"All health professionals are mobilized to limit the spread of the virus on the French territory," said the Health Ministry.

The news came in a day when President Emmanuel Macron convened 30 public and private health researchers at the Elysee Palace to examine the virus with maximum scrutiny.

The jump in numbers has been of increasing concern to the president who cancelled all official trips for the foreseeable future in order to focus on the handling of the disease.

France emphasized its preparedness through daily press briefings by both Health Minister Olivier Veran, and Jerome Salomon, director general of health.

It divided its approach into three stages; the country is presently categorized in Stage 2 but may soon move to Stage 3, where the disease is said to be in wide circulation to the greater population.

The six deaths come out of a population of some 70 million people. Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye warned that France is not yet out of the woods.

"We are actively preparing for an epidemic," she said.