All adults in France can have COVID jabs from May 31: PM

All adults in France will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations starting May 31, two weeks earlier than initially planned, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday.

The shots would be made available a week earlier—on May 24—to people in "priority professions", including teachers, police officers, bus drivers, taxi drivers, prison officers, checkout workers, cleaners and staff in hotels and restaurants.

Castex spoke during a visit to a vaccination centre in the high-density Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, revealing that President Emmanuel Macron had given orders to "accelerate" the campaign.

So far, 21.5 million people have received at least one shot of a vaccine, representing about a third of the population.

Castex said France was in a position to ramp up the campaign as it "will receive a lot of doses between now and the end of June, so we must have the highest level of vaccination possible."

Until now, the vaccinations had been limited to the over-50s but all adults are allowed to book an unused slot advertised on the same day or the next day.

© 2021 AFP