French pharmacies to open on Sundays to accelerate booster dose campaign

Paris, Dec 10 (IANS) French Health Minister Olivier Veran announced that pharmacies across the country will be authorised to open on Sundays in December and January in order to accelerate the Covid-19 booster dose campaign amid an ongoing resurgence.

"To simplify and amplify the booster dose campaign, I am signing a decree which will authorize and encourage pharmacists who can and wish to from now on to open every Sunday without limitation in the months of December and January," he told French television France 2.

France counts 33 pharmacies for every 100,000 inhabitants, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Pharmacists are essential pillars of this booster vaccination campaign," he said.

He also said that France can administer more than 4 million doses this week of messenger RNA vaccines.

On Wednesday, France reported 61,340 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a new record since November 2020.

The incidence rate has reached 448 cases per 100,000 residents.

As of Friday morning, the country's overall Covid caseload and death toll stood at 8,209,911 and 121,153, respectively, while the number of vaccines administered increased to 109,683,371.