France widens COVID vaccine rollout to 16-17 year olds at high risk of major illness

FILE PHOTO: People wait to be given a COVID-19 vaccine in Nice, France, April 29, 2021. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

France has decided to widen its COVID-19 vaccine rollout to people aged 16-17 who could face a high risk of a major illness from the virus, said the country's health ministry on Thursday, as the country gradually accelerates its vaccine programme.

The health ministry said this category of 16-17 year olds would be allowed to get the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine from Thursday onwards.

French President Emmanuel Macron visits a large-capacity COVID-19 vaccination center during its inauguration at Porte de Versailles convention centre in Paris, France May 6, 2021. Christophe Archambault/Pool via REUTERS

(Reporting by Jean-Stephane Brosse; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)