France reports highest daily number of deaths, toll tops 4,000

France on Wednesday reported its highest daily number of deaths from the coronavirus since the epidemic began, saying 509 more people had died in hospital to bring the toll to 4,032.

There are now 24,639 people hospitalized in France with COVID-19, with 6,017 of them in intensive care, health official Jerome Salomon told reporters in his daily update. The death toll on Tuesday had risen by 499.

The French death toll includes only those who died in hospital and not those who died at home or in old people’s homes.