France Nears All-Time High for New Coronavirus Cases As Spain Sees Faster Spread Than U.S.

New coronavirus cases in France have reached a near all-time high, with over 7,000 cases reported on Wednesday. This follows news that cases had surged by almost 50 percent in August compared to July, with over 281,000 cases recorded compared with almost 188,000 a month earlier. The French Ministry of Health said 7,017 cases were recorded Wednesday. This is just under 500 cases fewer than the country's biggest daily record on March 31 when 7,578 cases were reported. Despite most of the new cases being found in young people who have not been severely affected by the disease, hospitalizations are now starting to rise. According to Reuters, the number of people needing hospital treatment increased for the fifth day in a row on Wednesday—an increase not seen since April.