French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi on Thursday launched its much-awaited Covid vaccine. The VidPrevtyn Beta booster jab was developed in France and will be available to anyone over 18 in chemists throughout the country.
Charles Wolf, who heads the vaccines development branch at Sanofi, hailed the production of the shot within two years.
"A year and a half ago when we were working on its development we quickly realised the world would need booster shots to fight this virus, because immunity does not last very long," Wolf said in an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien.
"Covid is not over. The waves keep coming, even if the impact on the hospital is less significant. So we need to have several solutions throughout this pandemic."
Nearly 160,000 people have died in France since January 2020 due to the coronavirus.
Worldwide, almost seven million deaths have been attributed to the illness.
Restrictions
The French government imposed national lockdowns in an effort to stem the initial waves of the virus. There were also restrictions on thr number of people who could gather as well as compulsory wearing of face masks in public spaces.
But those measures have been dropped. And the number of cases continue.
Health chiefs have also been alarmed at the poor take-up of a fourth booster dose.
"Many experts had already warned about the unpredictable nature of this epidemic and the lifting of barrier measures," Wolf said.
"And they were right: the number of daily cases is very high. More than ever, it is important to be vaccinated. It is a personal and collective gesture.
"This is not a call from Sanofi, but from the Minister of Health, the Prime Minister, health professionals and the entire industry. It is urgent."
Statistics released on 13 December show that the coronavirus was the third cause of death in France in 2020 behind tumours, and cardio-neurovascular illnesses.
During 2020, 69,000 people died from Covid in France. It was especially deadly among the most vulnerable groups with half of all the victims aged 85 or over.
