First Case of New COVID Variant Found in France as Cases Rise

A medical worker administers a nasal swab to a patient at a COVID-19 testing centre in Le Bignon, France, on Dec.22, 2020. Stephane Mahe/Reuters

PARIS—France recorded its first case of the new variant of coronavirus, as the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 mounted in the country, increasing concerns of a new wave of the virus hitting the euro zone’s second-biggest economy.

The French health ministry said a Frenchman who recently arrived back in France from London had tested positive for the new variant of the coronavirus.