⁍ The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the United States is at a two-month high.

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⁍ France led a string of countries reporting record increases in infections.

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⁍ Protests flared across Italy against a new round of government restrictions.

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– The death toll from the deadly Middle Eastern virus known as coronavirus rose to 18 Tuesday, bringing the global total to 52, the BBC reports. Most of the victims, who have not been identified, were between the ages of 50 and 70. The virus has no known medical origin, but health officials say it is spreading rapidly around the world, with the majority of infections occurring in Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East. In the US, the number of hospitalized patients is at a two-month high, Reuters reports. In Europe, France led a string of countries reporting record increases in infections. The Czech Republic has ordered a 9pm curfew and is limiting retail sales on Sundays as part of tighter measures to curb the spread of the virus. Protests flared across Italy against a new round of government restrictions aimed at curbing a resurgent coronavirus, with violence reported in at least two major northern cities. France reported its highest number of COVID-19 patients going into hospital since April, registering 1,307 new coronavirus patients on Monday. The number of hospitalized patients in the US is at a two-month high, straining health care systems in some states. In Europe, France led a string of countries reporting record increases in infections. The World Health Organization’s top emergency expert told an online briefing Monday that a lack of contact-tracing capacity in Europe will drive the virus further into the “darkness.”