COVID-19: Over 600 French sailors test positive, 31 admitted to hospital

France's defence ministry on April 15 announced that more than 600 sailors from the Charles de Gaulle and escort vessels in its battle group are confirmed to have coronavirus. According to reports, the Charles de Gaulle was called in 10 days early from a deployment in the Atlantic after some crew members displayed symptoms of COVID-19. Media reports suggest that more than 2,000 people were one board when some crew members tested positive for the deadly disease. 

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According to reports, 31 of the 668 positive coronavirus cases are being treated in a hospital, while rest are in self-isolation. Meanwhile, one sailor is currently battling for his life in an intensive care facility, the ministry in a statement informed. The ship was deployed in the Atlantic as part of a NATO exercise after taking part in Operation Chammal, which seeks to contain the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. 

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According to data by worldometer, France has recorded over 1,47,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, of which more than 17,000 have lost their lives. There are currently 99,741 active infections in France, while 6,457 remain under critical condition. France on April 13 extended its lockdown period by another three weeks, until May 11. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

The deadly Coronavirus infection has claimed more than 1,34,000 lives across the world and has infected over 20,84,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last month before Italy, Spain, the US, UK, Iran, Germany and France surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.

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(Image Credit: AP)