Paris, Oct 25 (TIWN) After Spain, France has become the second country in Europe to pass the grim milestone of 1 million coronavirus cases, after new single-day infections surged by over 40,000 for a second day in a row, according to health authorities.

In the past 24 hours, the country confirmd 42,032 new cases on Friday, beating Thursday’s record of 41,661, Xinhua news agency reported.

The overall caseload currently stands at 1,084,659.

The death toll increased to 34,508, representing a one-day spike of 298, higher than 162 on Thursday.

 The number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients reached 15,008, up by 976 in one day, exceeding the 15,000 threshold for the first time since May 25.