A COVID-19 patient is wheeled out from an EHPAD (Housing Establishment for Dependant Elderly People) in Epinay sur Seine near Paris, France, on April 22, 2020. As of Wednesday, 29,741 people tested positive for the coronavirus were hospitalized, down by 365 in the last 24 hours, consolidating a one-week slowdown. The number of patients who need intensive care has fallen for the 14th consecutive day. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)
PARIS, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The number of people who have died from the coronavirus in France has climbed to 21,340, after a one-day increase of 544, higher than Tuesday's 531, Director-General of Health Jerome Salomon announced on Wednesday.
Salomon said 29,741 people tested positive for the coronavirus were hospitalized, down by 365 in the last 24 hours, consolidating one-week slowdown.
Among other encouraging signs, the number of patients who need intensive care has fallen for the 14th consecutive day, to 5,218, down by 215.
Despite the improvement, Salomon warned "the virus circulation remains at high level."
He urged citizens, placed into lockdown since March 17, to continue to strictly respect confinement measure and barrier gestures, which he said "should become automatic in the coming days."
