France reports 764 new deaths as war on coronavirus continues

PARIS As it enters week four of lockdown, France reported a total of 762 fatalities on Tuesday from the novel coronavirus. The number of deaths in hospital is now reported at 10,129 and those in nursing homes are 5,600 as of Tuesday, for a total of 15,729 deaths since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. A total of 103,573 cases of infection have been reported to date as well. The numbers were reported by Jerome Salomon, France's director general of health, in a daily press briefing. The total number of patients in intensive care is 6,730, a drop of 91 patients over Monday. There are 71,903 patients in the hospital still receiving treatment. The number of those who have recovered fully from the coronavirus stands at 28,805. President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation Monday evening to announce an extension of the lockdown the country has been in since March 17. The new deadline, originally set for Wednesday, April 15, is now May 11. Despite moving in the right direction, the virus is far from being conquered and the confinement must remain. "The epidemic is starting to slow down, the results are there," the executive said. Despite the disappointment of three and a half more weeks of isolation, Macron remains his country's biggest cheerleader. "Thanks to your efforts, every day we have made progress." Worldwide, there are nearly 1.95 million cases of coronavirus with over 122,500 reported deaths. Nearly 468,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus as well since the start of record-keeping for the outbreak, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover in due time.