The High Authority for Health (HAS) "maintains its recommendation to limit use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine to people aged 55 and over...due to the very rare but serious occurrence of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) in some people vaccinated with Vaxzevria", it said in a statement.
HAS also reiterated the "undeniable benefits" of the jab.
"In the current context in France, HAS reaffirms that the use of the Vaxzevria vaccine (from the AstraZeneca laboratory) remains essential to slow down the epidemic, limit the number of Covid-19 deaths and prevent the saturation of hospital services."
Infections, hospital numbers down
France reported 21,498 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, pushing total cases to 5.82 million – representing a 2.02 percent increase compared to a week ago, the lowest rate since late June 2020.
The health ministry said the number of coronavirus patients in hospital fell further by 774 to 24,254, with intensive care admissions dropping by 160 to to 4,583 – both indicators falling for a ninth straight day.
Two weeks after the French government started gradually unwinding its third nationwide lockdown, the seven-day moving average of daily new cases has fallen to about 16,500, from more than 42,000 mid-April, when week-on-week increases were still over 6 percent.
France recorded 184 new Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday as the moving seven-day average dropped to 213, from a high of 450 in early February.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex has said there was a clear downtrend in the evolution of the epidemic and France remained on track to lift the last anti-Covid measures at the start of July.
(with wires)
