France sees record 271,000 coronavirus cases in single day

PARIS (AP) — France reported a record-smashing 271,686 daily COVID-19 cases Tuesday as omicron infections race across the country. The surge is burdening hospital staff and threatening to disrupt transport, schools and other services. The French government is straining to avoid a new economically damaging lockdown. Instead, it’s trying to rush a vaccine pass bill through parliament in hopes that it is enough to protect hospitals. But with Europe’s highest number of confirmed daily virus cases, France is in increasingly challenging position. More than 20,000 people are hospitalized with the virus in France, a number that has been rising steadily but not as sharply as the infection rates.