France reports over 10,000 new COVID-19 cases for third day

FRANCE

People walk in the streets of Paris, some without protective face masks, as masks are no longer required outdoors, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in France, June 17, 2021.

People walk in the streets of Paris, some without protective face masks, as masks are no longer required outdoors, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in France, June 17, 2021.

PARIS, July 18 (Reuters) France reported more than 12,500 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the third day that the tally has held above 10,000, as the quick spread of the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 led to a jump in new infections.

The health ministry, however, said that the 12,532 new cases reported on Sunday, which took the total to 5.87 million, included data not published the day before.

“The daily figure published today (+12,532) should therefore not be interpreted as an exceptional increase in the number of daily cases, in a context nonetheless of strong dynamics in the evolution of the number of cases,” it said in a note posted on its website.

The ministry had reported 10,949 cases on Saturday and 10,908 on Friday.