France reports 19,235 new COVID-19 cases

French health authorities on Sunday registered 19,235 new COVID-19 cases; lower than Saturday's 24,392, while the overall coronavirus-related deaths surpassed 76,000.

France now counts over 3.19 million people who have caught the virus since the start of the pandemic, the second highest tally in Europe after the United Kingdom.

Another 195 patients with COVID-19 died in the last 24 hours, pushing France's death toll up to 76,057, the data showed.

In a single day, the country recorded 331 new hospital admissions, of which 45 cases needed life support. The total number of hospitalizations rose to 27,613, including 3,158 in intensive care units.

As of Sunday, France had vaccinated 1,485,886 people. Some 45,468 have received their second dose.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in France and some other countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 236 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide--63 of them in clinical trials--in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Orgzation on January 26. (/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )