Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
France registered a record number of daily Covid-19 infections as the Omicron variant continued its rapid spread across the country.
New cases totalled 368,149 on Tuesday, data from the Public Health Office showed, beating the previous record of just over 330,000 recorded last Wednesday.
The period is “unquestionably difficult, marked these last days by records of infections", French Health Minister Olivier Veran told the country’s Senate on Tuesday.
“The hospital system is subjected to a tremendous ordeal.”
There were 341 new deaths linked to Covid, taking the toll to 126,059. The steadily high numbers come as the debate around vaccinations heats up.
-
Jannik, 9, gets vaccinated in an airplane at Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany. The city is hosting a special vaccination event for children aged 5 to 11 in a decommissioned Airbus A300 Zero G. EPA -
People place candles in Neumarkt Square, Dresden to commemorate the 1,400 lives lost to the coronavirus in the German city. AFP -
Pupils take a sample for a rapid test during the first lesson after Christmas holidays at the Freiherr-vom-Stein secondary school in Bonn, western Germany. AFP -
Protesters demonstrate against Covid-19 measures and compulsory vaccination in Frankfurt, Germany. AP -
A cyclist rides past a tent where patients are undergoing coronavirus tests, at the Opera square in Paris. AFP -
A protestor in Nantes, France throws a tear gas canister during a demonstration against a bill that would transform the country's current coronavirus health pass into a 'vaccine pass'. Reuters -
A group of young students wearing masks disinfect their hands before entering the Luis Amigo school after the Christmas holidays, in Pamplona, northern Spain. AP -
A man receives a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at a Red Cross centre in Rome. Reuters -
Traffic police check the green pass of public transport passengers in Turin, Italy. EPA -
Empty seats inside the stadium before a football match between Udinese and Atalanta, as coronavirus restrictions limit the capacity to 50 percent in Udine, Italy. Reuters -
People sit in a waiting area in case of an immediate reaction after receiving booster shots at a Covid-19 vaccination centre set up in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. AFP -
People in Vienna scream at police as officers stop a demonstration against Austria's coronavirus restrictions. AP
Politicians are discussing new legislation that would restrict access to restaurants, museums, trains and planes to people with full vaccination status.
French teachers are planning a strike on Thursday to protest against the measures in place to curb the spread in the virus in schools.
The government aims to enforce the new laws on January 15.
