COVID-19 Pandemic in France

The first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Europe were reported in France on 24 January. By late March, Paris accounted for more than a quarter of coronavirus infections in French hospitals. Hospitalizations reached a peak in April, with 7,148 people in intensive care. Specially converted trains transported patients from overcrowded hospitals to regions that had fewer cases. As the death rate rose, morgues filled to capacity. Funeral homes were ordered to bury or cremate bodies immediately, without any mortuary preparation, or anyone in attendance.