A woman wearing a mask walks at Montmartre in Paris, France, April 13, 2020. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)

PARIS -- The deaths caused by the coronavirus surged to 17,167 in France where confirmed cases, number of hospitalized patients and those who need intensive care were decelerating, Health General Director Jerome Salomon said on Wednesday.

Fatalities in hospitals increased to 10,643 while the counting of nursing homes found 6,524 residents died from the respiratory illness since the epidemic outbreak.

Compared to Tuesday's 15,729, the death data jumped sharply but this was linked to a "catching up" in the data feedback, said Salomon.