France announces 1,417 coronavirus deaths, nation’s largest one-day toll

by Justine Coleman - 04/08/20 9:13 AM ET

France announced that 1,417 people have died from the novel coronavirus in one day, its largest daily death toll since the pandemic struck, according to news reports.

The country has counted a total of 10,328 coronavirus deaths thus far, after the surge in deaths Tuesday. Meanwhile, more than 7,000 people remain in intensive care, according to NBC News.

Despite the uptick in deaths, France reported a lower increase of daily new cases on Tuesday. Doctors diagnosed 3,777 people with coronavirus Tuesday, bringing the country’s total to more than 110,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

France’s health director Jerome Salomon, however, warned that removing the restrictions meant to slow the virus’s spread “makes no sense” at this time

“We have not yet reached the peak. We are in the ascending phase,” Salomon said, according to NBC News.

Three weeks of lockdown have taken a hit on France’s economy, prompting the government to say the shock is worse than the 1929 crisis, according to Bloomberg.

Other European countries have reported improvements in the numbers of cases and deaths reported, but Spain recorded a jump in both categories, hinting the virus is not under control on the continent. At the same time, countries like Italy, which has the highest death count in the world at 17,127, are considering loosening restrictions.

The U.S. recorded the highest daily death toll of any country on Tuesday with 1,939 deaths, The Washington Post reported. The increase came as several states including New Jersey, New York, Louisiana and Michigan documented their highest 24-hour increases in deaths Tuesday.