France records 30,000 new coronavirus cases

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - France recorded more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, raising concerns about the precedented increase in the nation’s fifth wave.

A total of 30,454 new infections were recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the latest health data. The last time that figure was recorded was Aug. 11, with 30,920 cases.

Health Minister Olivier Veran told lawmakers in the national assembly that the new cases marked “a very significant increase which attests that we are, unfortunately, in a fifth epidemic wave."

He said 6 million adults remain unvaccinated and “that's too much."

Veran noted there was evidence that unvaccinated patients were 12 times at risk of having a severe form of the virus.