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France on Tuesday reported a record high of 179,807 new confirmed coronavirus cases in 24 hours, one of the highest one-day tallies worldwide.
It is also the highest number of new daily infections in Europe, Covidtracker.fr data shows.
Since the start of the pandemic, only the US and India have reported average daily new cases above 200,000.
On Monday, the US reported more than 505,000 new Covid-19 cases.
Britain on Tuesday reported a record 129,471 new cases of Covid-19, but the data did not include figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland because of differences in reporting practices over the Christmas holiday period.
France's previous record of 104,611 was set on Saturday, after the 86,852 high of November 11, 2020, was broken with two consecutive days of more than 90,000 new cases at the end of last week.
The seven-day moving average of new cases in France, which smoothes out daily reporting irregularities, rose to a new high of 87,500.
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Protesters gather in the German city of Nuremberg against mandatory vaccination and coronavirus-related restrictions. Getty Images -
Vaccination against Covid-19 is under way at the Koenig-Pilsener-Arena in the north-west German city of Oberhausen. AP Photo -
The Covid-19 intensive care unit of the University Hospital in Bochum, western Germany. AFP -
A protester being detained during a demonstration against Covid-19 measures in the German city of Frankfurt. AP Photo -
A child receives Covid-19 vaccination in Les Pavillons-sous-Bois, near France's capital city of Paris. Reuters -
The Gare de Lyon train station in Paris. EPA -
Rodrigo Rojas Morilla, 11, gets ready to receive his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the La Serrania de Ronda hospital, in southern Spanish town of Ronda. Reuters -
Protesters vent their anger against the proposed vaccine green pass system and other government restrictions in the Spanish city of Barcelona. AP Photo -
A Santa Claus puppet with the green pass and mask in Rome, Italy. EPA -
A boy receives a dose of Covid-19 vaccine in the southern Italian city of Potenza. EPA -
A demonstration against Covid-19 measures turns violent in the Belgian capital of Brussels. AP Photo -
Protesters in the Austrian capital of Vienna carry candles in memory of those who have died of coronavirus. AP Photo
On Sunday and Monday, the Health Ministry reported about 30,000 new cases a day.
On Monday, the government announced new measures to curb infections, including limits on the size of big gatherings, a ban on eating and drinking on public transport and mandatory masks outdoors.
Despite the jump in new cases, the number of patients in hospital with Covid-19 remained well below record levels.
Covid-19 patients in intensive care rose by 83 to 3,416 on Tuesday, well below the highs of more than 7,000 in early April 2020.
