- Title: France records first drop in ICU patient numbers
- Date: 9th April 2020
- Summary: VITAL SIGNS MONITOR
- Embargoed: 23rd April 2020 19:42
- Keywords: COVID-19 ICU Jerome Salomon coronavirus death toll hospitals intensive care patients
- Location: PARIS AND NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE
- City: PARIS AND NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA002C8RUPMV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The number of people in intensive care units (ICU) for coronavirus infection in France fell slightly for the first time since the start of the epidemic, but the number of people dying in nursing homes jumped by more than 50 percent over two days, health ministry data showed on Thursday (April 9).
Health ministry director Jerome Salomon said that the number of people in ICU fell by 82 or 1.1% to 7,066, five days after Italy also had seen that number falling.
"This need to find new beds, new medical teams, new machines, is reduced for the first time. We can then hope for a plateau, but it's a plateau that is very high, and we must remain extremely cautious," Salomon said.
The death toll in hospitals has fallen for a second straight day to 424 on Thursday (April 9), from 524 on Wednesday (April 8).
After a technical problem prevented the registration of deaths in nursing homes on Wednesday, the cumulative toll there jumped by 929 people, or 52%, to 4,166 over two days.
Including the deaths in hospitals, up by 412 or 5% to 8,044, the total death toll rose by 1,341 or 12% to 12,210 people, ministry data showed.
Salomon said confinement and social distancing measures were beginning to "bear fruit".
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