By Shweta Desai
PARIS (AA) – More than half of the adult population in France has received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the government spokesman said on Wednesday.
“More than one in two adults have received at least one injection … this is an important achievement,” Gabriel Attal said at the weekly news briefing, following a meeting between the health defense council and the Council of Ministers.
France had a high vaccine-skeptic population before the launch of the vaccination campaign, with multiple polls suggesting that less than 40% of the French were willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
The country reportedly had the lowest inoculation figures compared to other European countries in the first few weeks of the campaign that started at the end of 2020.
Latest figures from the Health Ministry as of June 1 showed that more than 26.17 million people or 39.1% of the total population have received at least one vaccine dose. More than 11.22 million people or 16.7% of the total population have been fully vaccinated.
People above the age of 18 can make an online appointment to receive the dose.
Health authorities' have set a target of vaccinating 30 million people by mid-June. By June 9, the third phase of reopening of public places is set to roll out and evening curfew will be pushed back from 9.00 p.m. to evening 11:00 p.m.
The health pass – a digital pass providing details of vaccination and PCR or antigen test results – will also be enforced on the same day. Those who are fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test updated on the pass can gain entry into mass gathering events like sports stadiums, music concerts or in confined places like restaurants.
By the end of June, if the health situation shows improvement, the curfew will be lifted.
Even though there is marked improvement in the overall health situation across the country, Attal said there were warning signs in certain territories of the Occitanie and New Aquitaine regions in south-west France.
COVID-19 cases were increasing in the departments of Pyrenees-Atlantiques, Charente-Maritime, Charente, Lot-et-Garonne, Landes and in Gironde, he said.
