France and UK break COVID records and register over one lakh new cases in a single day

France reported just over 94,000 cases against the previous record the day before. More than 16,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in France, and 3,300 of them are in intensive care.

French President Emmanuel Macron plans to convene his own Health Defense Council on Monday to outline new measures to keep the country safe. Bloomberg reports that entering any bars, restaurants and cultural venues is likely to soon require full vaccination with boosters.

The population of France, with a population of 65 million, is close to that of the UK at 67 million. Spain with a population of 47 million recorded a record 50,000 cases in the first week, and Italy (60 million) on Thursday reported nearly 45,000 cases. Many other European countries are overwhelmed by the surge in cases and the institution of new restrictions.

On Friday, more than 700,000 cases were reported worldwide and about 152,000 new cases were reported in the US on Christmas Day.

As of Thursday, Florida counted 3,864,288 cases since the pandemic began in March 2020 and 62,374 deaths.

«Omicron ES 10 [times] More potent at causing reinfection than previous forms: protection against previous infection is not as good as protection against triple vaccination,” Dr. Eileen Marty, an infectious disease specialist at Florida International University, told the Herald.