France's cumulative death toll from coronavirus infections rose by 348 or 1.3% to 26,991 on Tuesday, overtaking Spain's 26,920 to give France the world's fourth-highest death toll from the virus after the U.S., Britain and Italy.

The health ministry said in a statement the number of people in hospital with coronavirus infection fell again to 21,595 from 22,284 on Monday, continuing an uninterrupted downward trend that has lasted four weeks.

On the second day after the end of a 55-day lockdown, the number of people in intensive care also continued a similar downtrend and fell by 170 or 6.3% to 2,542.