Coronavirus: France becomes 5th country with death toll over 1,000

Officials report jump of 240 deaths on Tuesday, total now 1,100

Last updated: March 24, 2020 | 23:12

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A worker wearing a face mask transfer food from one to an other truck in Versailles, west of Paris, Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

French authorities reported 240 new deaths from coronavirus on Tuesday for a total of 1,100, an increase of 28% that made France the fifth country to cross the 1,000-fatalities threshold after China, Italy, Iran and Spain.

Health agency director Jerome Salomon told a news conference that the total number of infections in France had risen to 22,300, a 12% jump in 24 hours.

Salomon said 2,516 people were in a serious condition needing life support, up by 21% from Monday, with 8,000 hospital beds now equipped with ventilators.