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France’s health authorities have pledged to offer a faster COVID-19 vaccination to a broader group of medical workers starting next week, amid criticism of the country’s slow inoculation campaign.
In his New Year’s address to the nation on Thursday night, President Emmanuel Macron said he would not allow “unjustifiable delays” in efforts to immunize citizens against the coronavirus.
Earlier in the evening, Health Minister Olivier Veran said the launch of the vaccine would cover health workers aged 50 and over starting Monday.
Macron, who has just recovered from COVID-19, is under pressure to speed up the launch.
Until now, the vaccination plan had only included healthcare workers over 65 and residents of nursing homes.
Since Sunday, when a 78-year-old person received the first injection, fewer than 200 people have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in France, compared to 78,000 in Germany.
Authorities have defended the slowness, saying they were giving people time to consider options in a bid to win over a nation skeptical of vaccines.
Europe
Brittany is preparing to reopen its Nightingale field hospitals in response to an increase in cases of the new strain of coronavirus.
The country’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Times Radio that the military, which helped build them, “stands ready” to help hospital staff if the National Health Service does not have critical care beds.
Seven Nightingale hospitals were built in England during the first wave of COVID-19.
An NHS spokesman said that temporary facilities in England “are preparing to admit patients once more in case they are needed,” the AFP news agency reported.
He added that “in anticipation of increasing pressures from the spread of the new variant of infection,” the NHS has been asked to ensure that Nightingale Hospital in London is “ready to admit patients as needed” and that the reactivation is underway.
According to the latest government data, a total of 944,539 people in the UK had received a first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine as of Sunday.
The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine, the second injection approved for public use in the country, will also be given starting next week.
Finland has extended its ban on passenger flights from Great Britain until January 11 for fear of the spread of the new variant of the virus, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency announced on Thursday.
The nation has reported some of the lowest infection figures in Europe since the start of the pandemic.
Earlier this week, the new UK strain, which is more transmissible, was detected in two people in Finland.
Slovakia is implementing stricter coronavirus measures as it moves into the new year.
A travel ban has been imposed between districts. Ski resorts and hotels were ordered closed.
People will not be allowed to meet anyone from a different home.
The restrictions go into effect on January 1 and are scheduled to last until January 24.
The Slovak government made the decision during an emergency session on New Year’s Eve after a record number of cases.
A group of experts warned of the strain on the country’s health system, saying hospitals could run out of staff and critical equipment such as lung ventilators in two weeks.
Americas
Canada it will now require all air travelers over the age of 5 to test negative for COVID-19 before arriving in the country.
The measure will be implemented from January 7, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said on Thursday.
The decision comes after images on social media showing Canadian tourists without a mask abroad triggered calls to tighten travel measures amid a growing number of cases.
dvv / dj (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
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