PARIS (AP) – France will administer a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine to people over 65 and residents of nursing homes starting next month, the prime minister announced Thursday.
Speaking to French radio RTL, Jean Castex pointed out that the booster is necessary because the efficacy of the vaccine decreases over time.
Elderly people who meet the requirements will be able to make appointments to receive the third dose, while in residences for the elderly the campaign will begin on September 12, he added.
The country’s health authority, HAS, this week recommended administering a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to those over 65 and those with previous health problems at least six months after the second.
Those who received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose formula will be offered a booster from Pfizer or Moderna at least four weeks after the vaccination date, the HAS added.
For more than a month, France has confirmed more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases daily.
More than 47 million people in France, 71.2% of its population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and more than 42 million, 62.8%, have completed the regimen.
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