France suffers world’s highest daily #coronavirus death toll of 1,417 as it becomes fourth country to pass 10,000․ #WHO

France has recorded the world's highest daily coronavirus death toll after 1,417 victims died in the past 24 hours.

The leap brings makes the country the fourth in the world to surpass 10,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Its overall toll nows stands at 10,328.

At a news conference today, Jerome Salomon, head of the public health authority, said the figures included 7,091 people who had died in French hospitals and partial data about those who have died in nursing homes.

The new figures show a rise of 16 percent today, up from 10 percent on Monday and seven percent on Sunday.

Monday saw the country's toll rise by 833, the biggest single-day leap before today.

Speaking yesterday, Health Minister Olivier Véran warned: "We have not reached the end of the end of the ascent of this epidemic.

"It is not over. Far from that. The path is long. The figures that I have announced show this.

"Stay at home and continue this confinement effort."

A nationwide lockdown remains in place across France, with most residents allowed outside only to buy essential supplies like food or medicine.
The country's death toll is now behind only those of Italy, Spain, and the US globally.

Across Europe, the virus has now killed more than 30,000 people.

Today also saw the UK record is largest single-day leap so far, with 768 people having died in the past 24 hours.

The figure comes after two days of declines in daily deaths, but topped the peak of 708 seen on Saturday.

The government's chief scientific advisor Patrick Vallance said that the spread of the virus in the UK now appears to be slowing.

"It's possible that we're beginning to see the beginning of change in terms of the curve flattening a little bit," he said.

"We won't know that for sure for a week or so."

But he also indicated that lockdown measures would need to remain in place until officials could be confident that number of new cases would not rebound once they are lifted.

"It does begin to suggest that things might be moving in the right direction in terms of numbers and it's important that we carry on with the measures that we have got in place in order to make sure that this does go in the right direction," he said.