France becomes 1st country in Europe to reach 2 million cases
France's tally of COVID-19 cases has hit the 2 million mark, becoming the first country in Europe to do so and the fourth in the world.
French Director General of Health Jerome Salomon announced Tuesday evening that the country had reached the grim milestone of 2,036,755 confirmed cases, along with an "unprecedented number of hospitalizations" of over 33,000.
"Whether in cities or in rural areas, all regions, all metropolitan departments are affected," Salomon said. "This second wave, which we are all facing, is massive, deadly and is straining all of our caregivers and our health system as a whole."
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Tuesday that while the country was regaining control over COVID-19, it's still too soon to lift the second nationwide lockdown, which was imposed on Oct. 30 to contain the spread of the virus.
The French government has set a Dec. 1 deadline for ending the lockdown but said it could extend it if case numbers don't decline fast enough.
ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud contributed to this report.