France's coronavirus death toll rises to 13,832

France's death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak rose to 13,832 on Saturday, but the number of patients in intensive care fell for the third day in a row, raising hopes that a nationwide lockdown is curbing the spread of the disease.

The number of people in intensive care units fell to 6,883 from 7,004 a day before, it added. The health ministry said that 353 people had died in hospitals and 290 in nursing homes.

On Friday the death toll had jumped by 987 as nursing home deaths increased. The number of confirmed and suspected infections so far in France, taking into account nursing home figures, stood at 118,479 as of Saturday, according to Reuters calculations based on the new data issued by the ministry.