Omicron spread: Europe faces massive surges in COVID infections, UK and France see record daily cases

Nearly 1.80 lakh new COVID-19 cases have been registered in France within the past 24 hours, which is a record high number since the beginning of the pandemic.

File Photo (Reuters)

Paris: The number of COVID infections has surged to a new level in Europe as France has logged a record of nearly 1,80,000 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.

As many as 1,79,807 new COVID-19 cases have been registered in France within the past 24 hours on Tuesday, which is a record high number since the beginning of the pandemic.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran predicted on Wednesday that the Omicron coronavirus strain might become prevalent in the country in late December. 

As of Monday, 77 per cent of the French have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

On the other hand, the UK also reported 1,29,471 new COVID-19 infections in a day, the highest daily recorded so far in the country. It came after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged its citizens to get vaccinated.

"We know two jabs do not give you enough protection against Omicron so whether it is your first, second or booster jab I urge you to book an appointment now," Johnson had tweeted on Monday. 

He also urged the people to act cautiously given the rising number of Omicron cases. 

"Most importantly I urge everyone to get their first, second or booster jab without delay to protect yourselves and your loved ones," Johnson added.

Italy is also not far behind in the number of cases as in the past 24 hours, the country reported 78,300 new cases of the coronavirus, which is over double the figure of the previous day.

An absolute record of over 17,000 new COVID-19 cases has also been logged in Portugal, the country`s directorate-general of health said on Tuesday.