France to Offer Covid Vaccine to Children aged 12-18
During his visit to the village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie in the south of France, Macron noted that 50 percent of French adults are currently receiving at least one Kovid vaccine, describing it as “truly a turning point” in the country’s vaccination process.
The vaccine supply has increased sharply recently, prompting French authorities earlier this week to open appointments for all adults a few weeks ahead of schedule.
Macron also announced that the obligation to wear masks in France will be lifted gradually and on a regional basis.
The decision to vaccinate youth came as several countries debated whether to allocate doses to adults who are more vulnerable to the virus first, or to start vaccinating young people to protect more of the population.
However, Macron urged people to be ‘extremely vigilant’ and said it would still be necessary to wear face masks outdoors in some areas for now. The 43-year-old president, who also contracted Kovid last December, announced on Monday that he and his wife had also received the vaccine.
Earlier Wednesday, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said it would not be wise to speed up the reopening process because of ‘warning signs’ in southwest France, despite the country’s increasingly successful vaccine rollout.
“If the overall level of virus circulation is comparable to that of early last autumn, warning signs are emerging in some areas,” Attal said at the Council of Ministers meeting.
“In Nouvelle Aquitaine, we sometimes see significant increases in the circulation of the virus, the reproduction rate has risen above 1, which means the epidemic is regaining ground,” he said, one week into the next phase of reopening. Attal, who called on the people of France not to let their guard down, said, “The indicators are green at the national level. This is good news that the first step towards lifting restrictions has been successful.’
The news comes just days after France opened its Covid-19 vaccines to all adults in the country on Monday amid fears of another deadly virus wave in Europe.
By doing this, France offers vaccines to more age groups than most of its European neighbors, including both the UK and Germany.
As of May 31, France delivered at least one dose of the Covid vaccine to 25.8 million people, or 38.19 percent of its 67 million population, and the country’s initially high level of vaccine hesitancy was apparently beginning to wane. The Pfizer vaccine accounts for the vast majority of vaccines administered in the country so far, while AztraZeneca is the second most administered dose.
