French health authority approves Covid-19 vaccine

The Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) has given the green light for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination against Covid-19 to be rolled-out in the country.

Health Minister Olivier Véran has already stated that a few dozen residents of retirement homes in the regions of Paris and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté will be the first recipients on Sunday, December 27.

The vaccination was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Commission on Monday.

With the HAS’s confirmation today, France is now able to begin vaccinations.

The vaccine “can be used in people aged 16 and over because of the nature of its efficacy and satisfactory tolerance levels”, HAS president Dominique Le Guludec said during an online press briefing.

He said that the prioritisation strategy that the government has already set out remains valid. This involves vaccinating the people most at risk first.

Easy-look guide to France’s Covid-19 vaccination roll-out

Elisabeth Bouvet, president of the technical commission on vaccinations at HAS, said that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has demonstrated “significant” efficiency in preventing the development of the Covid-19 disease.

However, she added that for the moment, “we have no information on the impact of this vaccine on the transmission of the virus".

The first Covid-19 vaccinations in France

The vaccination campaign will begin on Sunday, December 27 in two or three establishments for the elderly and will involve “a few dozen residents”, Health Minister Olivier Véran has said.

One care home will be close to Paris and the other will be in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

The campaign will then be extended to other establishments on Monday and Tuesday.

“We’re going to be phasing it in gradually,” Mr Véran said.

Read more about Covid-19 vaccinations in France:

Covid vaccinations in France to begin on Sunday

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