With 541 new deaths France holds fast in fighting virus

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - The death toll of France from the coronavirus rose to 10,869 on Wednesday, up 541 from the day before.

France reported that 7,632 people have so far succumbed to the disease in the hospitals since the start of the outbreak, while care homes have seen 3,237 patients pass away.

The number of confirmed cases in the country reached 82,048, with 59,849 of them are currently under treatment in hospitals. A total of 21,254 people have recovered, said the Health Ministry, adding that 7,148 are in intensive care -- with only 17 patients more patients since Tuesday.

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday evening will address the nation on television to assess the current situation of the pandemic and the further plans for confinement of the public, which began on March 17, and is likely to be extended to the end of April.

After appearing in China in December, the virus has spread to at least 184 countries and regions, according to Johns Hopkins.

There are more than 1.47 million confirmed cases worldwide, with almost 87,000 deaths, and above 317,300 recoveries, according to the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover in due time.