France reports 178 new deaths from COVID-19, toll now stands at 25,987

France on Thursday registered 178 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, taking the tally to 25,987, while new hospital admissions continued to slow as the government plans to ease anti-coronavirus lockdown on May 11, according to its Health Ministry.

The coronavirus-related deaths went up by 0.7 percent in the last 24 hours, a slower pace than 1.1 percent recorded on Wednesday and 1.3 percent on Tuesday.

The number of people hospitalized with coronavirus also decreased by 775 to 23,208, maintaining an uninterrupted three-week downward trend, the ministry added.

In a further positive sign, admissions in intensive care units (ICUs), an important indicator in evaluating pressure on hospitals, saw a one-day decrease of 186 to 2,961, well below the 7,200 reported at the peak time on April 9.

The number of confirmed infection cases stood at 137,779 after a one-day increase of 629, the data showed.