Emmanuel Macron: Compulsory Covid jab 'entirely possible'

Emmanuel Macron: Compulsory Covid jab 'entirely possible'
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Carl Bennett

By Carl Bennett


Published: 15/12/2021

- 20:28

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 11:49

The French President also said it was desirable for the vaccine to be administered to children between the ages of 5 and 11

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday it was possible the Covid-19 vaccine would be made compulsory in France, but said it was not the priority for now.

It comes as many countries in the European Union have started the vaccine rollout for children aged between 5 and 11 years old.


In a pre-recorded interview broadcast on French TV stations TF1 and LCI, Macron was asked if the jab could be added to the list of vaccines already compulsory in France.

"It's entirely possible," he said.

Macron also said it was desirable for the vaccine to be administered to children between the ages of 5 and 11, but it was ultimately up to parents to decide if their child should have it.

In Spain, one hospital expects to administer more than 1,000 shots per day this week.

Nuria Miro, a 41-year old architect, woke up early to make sure she could book a slot for her two youngest, Pau, 11 and Marti, 5 and give the family greater peace of mind over the Christmas holidays when they plan to meet up with elderly relatives.

"We were really looking forward to them being able to get the vaccine... It's crucial that we all get vaccinated," she said, adding that the decision to get her children vaccinated was easy to take and that she doesn't consider the vaccine to be more risky than any other drug.

Most kids felt relief after receiving the jab and said that they didn't felt any pain.

Spain's health commission approved on December 7 vaccinations against Covid-19 for children aged 5 to 11, following a recommendation by the European Union's health regulator late last month.

The decision comes as the country, with 90% of people aged 12 or over already fully vaccinated, seeks to address a rise in coronavirus cases.

The first batch of Pfizer BioNTech children vaccines against Covid-19 arrived in Spain on Monday (December 13).

Spain had on Wednesday a 14-day infection rate of 424 per 100 people.

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