PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2020) Mass vaccination against the novel coronavirus disease in France may start in late December or early January and it will not be mandatory, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.
"[The process of] vaccination must be clear, transparent, information about what we know and what we do not know must be shared at every stage. I want to be clear: I will not make vaccination mandatory," Macron said in his televised address to the nation.
Once approved by the health authorities and regulators, the elderly and those the most vulnerable will be the first to be administered the COVID-19 vaccine, the French leader added.
France brought back the lockdown on October 30 after the number of daily cases of coronavirus soared. Macron has announced a three-stage plan to ease restrictions starting November 28.
Overall, more than 2.1 million people in France have tested positive for the virus since the outbreak began. The death toll has exceeded 50,000.
