A medical staff member pushes a stretcher on a platform at the Gare d'Austerlitz train station as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues in Paris, France on April 1, 2020.

France on Wednesday reported its highest daily number of deaths from Covid-19 since the coronavirus epidemic began, saying 509 more people had died in hospital to bring the toll to 4,032.

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There are now 24,639 people hospitalised in France with Covid-19, with 6,017 of them in intensive care, the country's Health Agency Director Jérôme Salomon told reporters in his daily update.

On Tuesday, France's death toll had risen by 499.

The French death toll includes only those who died in hospital and not those who died at home or in old people's homes.

Salomon said that the number of cases had risen to 56,989, a rise of nine percent, versus an increase of 17 percent on Tuesday.

🔴DIRECT | #Coronavirus #Covid19

➡ Suivez le point de situation du 1er avril

🎙 Par le Pr Jérôme Salomon, Directeur général de la Santéhttps://t.co/lOpeGJeaLm — Ministère des Solidarités et de la Santé (@MinSoliSante) April 1, 2020

He also said 6,017 people were in a serious condition needing life support, up eight percent compared with Tuesday.

France has increased the number of beds in intensive care units from 5,000 to about 10,000 since the start of the crisis and it is aiming to reach 14,500 as soon as possible.

Passing 4,000 threshold

Today's figures make France the fourth country to pass the 4,000-fatalities threshold after Italy, Spain and the United States,

With 13,155 deaths to date, Italy accounts for almost 30 percent of the global death tally. Spain has 9,053 deaths and, just like France, the United States has just passed the 4,000-mark.

The four countries now account for about two-thirds of the total deaths – now at more than 45,000 – from the coronavirus around the world.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)

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