A 78-year-old woman has become the first person to receive a vaccine against Covid-19 in France, according to a tweet from Aurélien Rousseau, director general of the Ile-de-France health agency. -France.
Rousseau posted a picture of the vaccination on Twitter on Sunday and described it as “an intense moment … bringing so much hope.”
The first person vaccinated is a former housewife named Mauricette. He received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Sunday morning at a public hospital in the Paris area.
“I’m moved,” he said.
A 65-year-old cardiologist, Dr. Jean-Jacques Monsuez, received the vaccine shortly after.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that:
“After the green light from the health authorities, the vaccination campaign begins today, both in France and in Europe.”
He added that the vaccine would be completely free and voluntary.
A dozen seniors and caregivers are scheduled to be vaccinated on Sunday at the symbolic launch of the French vaccination campaign, in the Paris area and in Dijon, in northeastern France.
The European Union on Sunday launched the first phase of its mass vaccination program. As well as France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic and Spain are among the member states that began vaccinating themselves this weekend.
The French government says it aims to vaccinate a million people by the end of February, focusing on the oldest, most vulnerable and carers.