French drug regulator gives Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine green light

France’s medical regulator said on Thursday that it had approved the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for a nationwide launch, after the European Medicines Agency gave its go-ahead on Monday.

“The vaccine can be used for people over the age of 16, including the elderly,” says the Haute Autorité de la Santé (HAS).

A vaccination campaign will start on Sunday, with health workers and the elderly among the first to receive Covid-19 shots, the government has said.

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The French authorities are worried that the holiday season may see a new increase in infection, after the country’s total number of deaths in Covid-19 exceeded 60,000 last week.

Authorities said late Tuesday that nearly 12,000 new cases had been reported in the previous day and 386 deaths.

( Jowharwith REUTERS)