Paris (AFP)

The government predicts that in February only one million people will receive a first injection of the Covid vaccine, after more than 1.4 million in January, for a total of around 2.5 million at the end of February, the government announced on Thursday. ,.

This vaccination forecast is much lower than the figure of 4 million people vaccinated at the end of February mentioned by the Minister of Health on Thursday, January 21 and again on Tuesday, reflecting deliveries of doses which promise to be lower than expected.

One million first injections and 1.4 million second injections of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (are) planned for the month of February, "said the ministry for its part, which reports the" drop in supplies "of these two laboratories .

In addition, Olivier Véran's initial forecasts were based on the availability of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which must be examined on Friday for approval by the European regulator.

The minister had also warned that all his estimates would depend on supplies.

But AstraZeneca announced this week that it would deliver to France only 4.6 million doses of its vaccine by the end of March, half less than expected, according to the Ministry of Health.

At the European level, the group would only plan to deliver in the first quarter "a quarter" of the doses initially promised to the 27 EU countries, which are demanding that it keep its commitments.

In France, appointments to be vaccinated in February will therefore be limited.

Among the first injections planned for February, "600,000 corresponding to appointments already made, between February 1 and 14" and "400,000 corresponding to new appointments between February 15 and February 28, which will be open by the end of the week, "the ministry said in a statement.

"Many French people who would like to be vaccinated are still waiting for an appointment," admitted Gabriel Attal.

"I want to tell them that the doses continue to arrive in our country," he added, promising "total transparency" on the vaccination campaign.

"All the data are gradually being made open data and accessible to all French people" to consult "the number of people who have been vaccinated by age group at national level, at regional level at departmental level and the number doses which are planned in each of the departments for the coming weeks and in the coming days, "he promised.

© 2021 AFP