With the start of the third wave of the Corona virus in Europe and about 13 million people around the world receiving their first injection of the Coronavirus vaccine, a heated debate rages in France about the slow pace of the vaccination program in the country.

After the arrival of the vaccine raised high hopes after a year that witnessed the death of 65,000 people in France as a result of being infected with the virus, the vaccination of only two thousand people from December 27 to last Monday raised a lot of controversy.

This made this issue a top priority for the executive branch of the Elysee Palace.

Despite the government’s announcement of increasing the vaccination rate, it still faces criticism about implementing a very slow and cautious strategy compared to some of its European neighbors, such as Britain and Germany, which started the vaccination process simultaneously with France.

How does the government explain this slowdown in the vaccination campaign in France?

What is the new strategy that you present to the French?


To reassure the French about the vaccination campaign against the "Covid-19" epidemic, which has been subject to many criticism, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron decided to form a scientific committee to ensure that the vaccination is carried out in a "clear and transparent" manner.

The National Academy of Medicine called for shortening and simplifying consultations due to the holiday season, because consultations should take place at least 5 days before the vaccine is injected, which is one of the reasons for the slow process.

The Montagny Institute for Research and Studies published a study in which it said that more than 50% of the French refuse to be vaccinated against the Corona virus due to their concern about the effectiveness of vaccines and the failure of the government's plan to rapidly popularize vaccinations.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex explains at a press conference Thursday his government's strategy on the vaccination campaign (Reuters)

Vaccination strategy


France is expected to allocate 1.5 billion euros for the year 2021 and provide 200 million doses to vaccinate its population through the European Commission, and Prime Minister Jean Castex confirmed that this campaign is not compulsory and free for all and will be in 3 phases, starting from this January.

The first phase of the vaccination campaign was initially limited to caregivers over the age of 50, and the number of these is estimated at 1.2 million people working in hospitals or in the medical field in general, and firefighters and home helpers aged 50 years and over were added to them.

As for the vaccination of people between the ages of 65 and 75, it will start in the middle of this month, according to the Ministry of Health data.

The third and final phase will start in the spring of 2021, as access to the vaccine will then be expanded to include people between the ages of 50 and 64, as well as security and education personnel and citizens exposed to health problems, and after that it will be available to all and free of charge for those interested in vaccination.

Buying more quantities


The government has intensified its response since the beginning of the week to the criticism it faces due to the delay in the vaccination campaign, the most recent of which was the press conference held on Thursday evening by Prime Minister Jean Castex and Health Minister Olivier Ferrand.

Ferrand promised to strengthen the strategy of vaccination against Corona, and confirmed that France will speed up the vaccination process in the coming days, like its neighbors.

"We have exceeded two thousand vaccination operations, and we will increase the pace significantly, starting from Thursday," he added.

The French government also confirmed, according to the Minister of Health, that his country will buy larger quantities of vaccines in order to be distributed more quickly to hospitals and health centers in France.

He stated that his ministry will receive 500 thousand doses every week from Pfizer’s laboratory, but if the European Medicines Agency agrees, “we will receive an additional 50,000 doses of Moderna vaccine every month.”

As another step towards accelerating the vaccination campaign in France, the Ministry of Health on Friday gave the green light to the moderna vaccine in France.

The head of the vaccine strategy steering committee, Alan Fischer, says, "It is expected that the Moderna vaccine will arrive in the second half of this month."

The French government promised to expand and simplify the vaccination process (Reuters)

Returning to schools raises concern and the


government's criticism of the slow pace of vaccination comes, while daily cases of Coronavirus have increased, with more than 21,000 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, according to figures released Friday from the National Public Health Agency.

Citizens and trade unions expressed their concern about the high number of infections in conjunction with Christmas celebrations, especially after 12 million French students returned to schools and employees resumed their work.

As a result, those coming from the Swiss Alps were required to undergo a corona examination for a period not exceeding 72 hours to enter France, otherwise they will be subjected to isolation for a week.