Paris: France reported 833 more coronavirus deaths, bringing the total to 8,911, while infections, both confirmed in hospitals and confirmed or possible cases from nursing homes, jumped to 98,010.
The number of patients who lost their lives because of the respiratory illness in the country’s hospitals rose to 6,494, up 605. The counting by retirement homes found that there were 2,417 deaths since 1 March, said Health Minister Olivier Veran at a daily briefing on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.
A total of 74,390 people have been tested positive for coronavirus since the start of the epidemic. That was up from 70,478 confirmed on Sunday. The number of “confirmed or possible” cases in nursing homes was at 23,620, up by 5.6 percent.
The Minister announced a vast screening operation targeting elderly people in medico-social establishments in order to curb the number of deaths among the most vulnerable. Among the 29,752 hospitalized patients, 7,072 were in intensive care units. In the past 24 hours, 94 new cases required life support compared with 140 on Sunday.
Veran hailed medical caregivers’ mobilization which helped overcome the epidemic, noting that the coronavirus crisis is changing the hospital situation.
President Donald Trump in recent days has been using the White House Coronavirus Task Force news briefing as an occasion to boast his country’s second-to-none total COVID-19 tests.
The true death toll (in the US) is likely much higher than what has been reported, a media report said, citing concerns expressed by hospital officials, doctors, public health experts and medical examiners from a wide array of localities in the country.
The undercount is a result of inconsistent protocols, limited resources and a patchwork of decision making from one state or county to the next, Xinhua news agency quoted The New York Times report as saying on Sunday.
New Zealand Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare announced Tuesday that the State of National Emergency to support the COVID-19 response will be extended a second time for a further seven days.
The initial declaration was made on March 25, and the seven-day declaration can be extended as many times as necessary. It does not change the length of the Alert Level 4 lockdown. New Zealand entered the national lockdown on 26 March, which will last for at least four weeks, Xinhua news agency reported.