PARIS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The French Health Ministry on Thursday announced two more deaths caused by the novel coronavirus infection, bringing the death toll of the illness to six in the country.

A 73-year-old patient, from the northern department of l'Oise, where the country's largest cluster originated, died. Another person, 64, from the northern region of Hauts-de-France was also confirmed dead of the virus.

The ministry added 377 positive coronavirus cases were confirmed, 92 up from 285 reported on Wednesday evening.

"The health authorities' objective is to curb the spread of the virus on the territory. Slowing down its spread is to lessen the impact on the population during the transition to stage 3, so that the peak of the epidemic will be all the more limited," the ministry said in a statement.

With 13 regions now affected, five of them with more than 10 cases each, France remains at stage 2 of its epidemic plan, which means an epidemiological mosaic with different situations at regional level, according to the country's health officials.