France to expand Covid-19 vaccination to people above 70, says Macron

From Saturday, French people from 70 to 75 years old will be able to get vaccinated against Covid-19 even if they don’t have pre-conditions, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

From Saturday, French people from 70 to 75 years old will be able to get vaccinated against Covid even if they don’t have pre-conditions, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron in Bobigny near Paris (Reuters).

During a visit to a vaccination center in Valenciennes, Northern France, which is among the areas subjected to a lockdown since Saturday, Macron sought to showcase the inoculation campaign.

Like other government leaders, the French president is counting on vaccines to relieve pressure on hospital systems and eventually lift restrictions on travels and business. Paris and other regions have been under a new lockdown since Saturday, although the government is encouraging open-air activities and more businesses are open than during previous confinements.

Macron said the priority was to immunize most vulnerable people and seniors “to relieve pressure on the hospital system,” according to a pool report. So far, the vaccination was open only to people over 75, patients with preconditions or medical staff, but the number of people above 75 in intensive care has dropped, highlighting the need to expand eligibility to the vaccination campaign.

Around 9% of French people have received at least one vaccine jab. The government aims to have immunized 10 million people by mid-April, 20 million in mid-May and 30 million mid-June -- less than half of the total population.