French PM says COVID-19 vaccines more widely accepted by people

Paris: French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday he was happy to see that COVID-19 vaccinations were starting to be more widely accepted by French people, who are among the most sceptical in the world towards vaccines.

“I happily notice that the acceptance of the vaccination programme is increasing and that is great news for our country,” Castex said while visiting a vaccination facility in the east of France.

He said he was expecting people to rush to get vaccinated and called for patience.

Nationwide curfew

Castex is due to unveil new measures to rein in the pandemic later on Thursday, with a nationwide curfew from 6 p.m. being the most likely option, according to French media.

The government was also due on Thursday to launch a website for COVID-19 vaccination appointments but the health ministry said the site had connection problems.

“In terms of accessibility, the website is out of service”, a spokeswoman for the ministry said.

A message on the website said it was undergoing maintenance.