PARIS (Reuters) – The number of people with COVID-19 in intensive care units in France dropped below 4,000 on Wednesday as the country reopened outdoor cafe terraces, museums and shops selling non-essential goods.
The ICU tally fell by 153 to 3,862, the first time it has been below 4,000 since March 11, health ministry data showed.
Following the country’s second nationwide lockdown in November, COVID-19 intensive care numbers fell to just below 2,600 early January, but then rapidly climbed again to a 2021 high of 6,001 on April 26. They have fallen nearly every day since.
The health ministry also reported 19,050 new coronavirus cases, an increase of 1.64% compared to last week. The rate of increase set a new 11-month low after rising slightly in the past three days. The seven-day moving average of new cases fell to 13,676.
France also reported 141 new deaths. The 7-day average of daily deaths fell to a new 2021 low of 141, down from 450 in early February.
(Reporting by GV De Clercq; Editing by Chris Reese, Kirsten Donovan)
