01-09-2021 , 06:32 AM
French medical regulator, the High Health Authority (HAS), has approved the rollout of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine in the country, according to a statement released by the regulator on Friday.
The decision comes after the European Medicines Agency approved the Moderna vaccine on Wednesday.
HAS noted that Moderna was “the second vaccine available to fight Covid-19” in France after Pfizer-BioNTech’s and that “it will help amplify the vaccination campaign.”
On Thursday, Health Minister Olivier Véran said the first 50,000 doses of Moderna will be delivered on Monday, aiming to reach over 2 million by June.
“In all, we expect a little over 100,000 vaccines for the month of January for Moderna, an additional 500,000 in February, a little over a million in March and April and over 2 million in May and June,” Véran said.
France has come under scrutiny for its slow vaccination process, administering a total of 45,000 people as of Thursday, a number which has left them behind compared to European neighbors.
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