A further 365 people have died from coronavirus in France, bringing the country’s death toll to 1,696, French authorities have said. It is believed to be the country’s biggest daily rise in deaths caused by the virus, reports Metro.
There are now 29,155 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the nation, compared to 25,233 a day ago. There are 13,904 people hospitalised and 3,375 in intensive care, French authorities added.
France became the fifth country whose death toll from coronavirus had topped 1,000 just two days ago. It prompted a government body to call for the nationwide lockdown, imposed on March 17, to be increased from 15 days to at least six weeks.
Today the French government formally authorised the use of chloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, in the treatment of hospitalised coronavirus patients – despite clinical trials for the drug not being completed.