Source::Xinhuanet
XINHUA/RSS
France on Tuesday started vaccinating children aged 12 and over in order to reach herd immunity and counter an eventual spread of more dangerous new strains of the COVID-19. According to Doctolib, an online platform that coordinates France's vaccination appointments, 62,000 minors have registered to receive their first dose.
"Some 40,000 teenagers will probably be vaccinated on Tuesday. The pace will intensify in the coming days," Stanislas Niox-Chateau, co-founder of Doctolib, told Le Figaro newspaper. The vaccination of minors is on a voluntary basis, but requires parental approval and the presence of one parent when the shot is administered.
Health Minister Olivier Veran said inoculating minors "will help us boost collective immunity and allow us to avoid the closure of classes and schools in September, as well as protect teenagers who can also sometimes develop COVID symptoms." "In the fight against epidemics it is quite normal to vaccinate adolescents," Veran told TF1 television in a recent interview.
As part of a coordinated European plan, France has launched its vaccination campaign on Dec. 27. It had opted for a gradual and free rollout, prioritizing the elderly and vulnerable to avoid a surge in serious cases and deaths. On May 31, it extended its vaccine campaign to all adults.
So far, 30.47 million people, or 58 percent of the adult population, have had one dose. Some 14.36 million people have completed their vaccination, representing 27.4 percent of the adult population, data from Health Ministry showed.
ALSO READ
