PARIS - The Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus first found in India - which experts deem more infectious than other variants - currently represents 9-10% of confirmed new COVID cases in France, said government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Wednesday.

Last week, French health minister Olivier Veran said the Delta variant represented 2-4% of cases in France. 

Attal also told reporters that Russia had been added to the list of countries considered by France as high-risk Covid zones, along with Namibia and Seychelles.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Writing by Matthieu Protard; Editing by Benoit Van Overstaeten) ((matthieu.protard@thomsonreuters.com; +33-1-49495381;))