France posted 501,635 new cases of coronavirus over the past 24 hours on Tuesday, a new daily record and the first time it has passed half a million.
The country is recording the highest daily infection rates of any major European nation, with an average of more than 360,000 over the past week.
More than 30,000 people are in hospital with coronavirus across France, the most since November 2020, official figures show.
But only a little more than 3,700 were in intensive care, less than during previous periods of high infection.
The highly contagious Omicron variant that is fuelling the latest wave is believed to be less dangerous than the previous dominant strain, Delta.
About 364 people died of the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths from Covid-19 in France to 129,489.
The latest figures were revealed after new Covid rules came into force in France on Monday.
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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
People are now required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter bars, restaurants, trains and planes.
A negative coronavirus test result will no longer be enough to gain entry to leisure activities, some work events and long-distance travel.
More than 77 per cent of France's population have received two shots of an anti-Covid vaccine.
How France emerges from the current wave is regarded as crucial for April presidential elections, in which President Emmanuel Macron is widely expected to run although he has yet to declare his candidacy.
Despite the high caseload, Prime Minister Jean Castex last week announced a timetable for lifting Covid-19 restrictions in France from February 2.
