France's cumulative death toll from coronavirus infection rose by 83 or 0.3% to 27,074 on Wednesday, with the rate of increase slowing after accelerating the three previous days, pulling the country back behind Spain in the fatalities ranking order.

The health ministry said in a statement the number of people in hospital with coronavirus infection fell again to 21,071 from 21,595 on Tuesday, continuing an uninterrupted downward trend now entering its fifth week.

On the third day after the end of a 55-day lockdown, the number of people in intensive care also continued a similar downtrend and fell by 114 or 4.7% to 2,428.

Confirmed cases were up 0.4% at 140,374.