A 78-year-old woman is the first person to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in France, according to a tweet by Aurélien Rousseau, chief executive of the Ile-de-France regional health group.
Rousseau posted a picture of the vaccine on Twitter Sunday and described it as “a real moment … carrying so much hope.”
The first person to be vaccinated was a householder named Mauricette. She received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Sunday morning in a public hospital in the greater Paris area.
“I’m moved,” she said.
The vaccine was acquired by 65-year-old cardiologist Dr. Jean-Jacques Monsuez shortly thereafter.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted:
“Following the green light from health authorities, the vaccination campaign will begin today, in France as in Europe. ”
He said the vaccination would be completely free and voluntary.
A dozen elderly and carers are expected to receive the vaccine Sunday at the symbolic launch of the French vaccination campaign, in the greater Paris area and in Dijon, in northeastern France.
The European Union launched the first phase of its major immunization program on Sunday. In addition to France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic and Spain are among the member states that started giving vaccines this weekend.
The French government says it aims to vaccinate a million people by the end of February, with a focus on the elderly, the most vulnerable and carers.