France sees 263 new deaths as lockdown eases

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - A spike in the coronavirus death toll in France on Monday alerted authorities as the country attempted to resume its pre-lockdown life.

France's Health Ministry announced the death toll has risen to 26,643, with the cases of infection registering at 139,519.

On Monday, there were 263 fatalities, a sharp rise of 192 from the previous day.

The number of hospitalizations rose on Monday, with cases standing now at 22,284. The number of those in intensive care fell to 2,712, down by 64 patients.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover. Since the beginning of record-keeping for the disease, 56,724 people have recovered in France from the virus and have returned home.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to 187 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed over 284,000 people, with total infections reaching over 4.15 million, while over 1.43 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.