Jean Castex announced on Saturday the opening of the fourth dose of vaccine “to those over 80 who have received their booster dose for more than three months”, in the face of the slight rebound in the Covid epidemic, in an interview with Le Parisien.
The Prime Minister also said he strongly recommends “to people who are fragile because of their age or their pathologies to maintain the wearing of a mask in closed places and in large gatherings.”
Conceding that there was currently a “recovery of cases”, Mr. Castex however ruled out “changing strategy”, when most restrictions must be lifted on Monday, such as the vaccine pass.
“The scientific council, which I have requested, tells us that it is above all the BA2 sub-variant which is at the origin of this” epidemic rebound.
“It is more transmissible than the initial Omicron, but it does not seem more dangerous”, he explained to the Parisian, relying on the fact that “hospital pressure, which remains our justice of the peace, continues to to lower”.
“The improvement in the hospital and our high vaccination coverage lead us to maintain the lifting of the measures”, he pleaded, even if certain conditions fixed for the abolition of the restrictions are not met (no progression of epidemic, less than 1,500 people in intensive care with Covid).
In this context, the Prime Minister said he wanted to “support the most vulnerable people”. In this sense, “we will now open the fourth dose to those over 80 who have received their booster dose for more than three months, who are facing a gradual loss of immunity”, he said.
On Monday, the vaccine pass, which requires being vaccinated against Covid to access many places, will be lifted even if its “health” version, which also works with a negative test for the virus, will be maintained in health establishments at broad meaning: hospitals, nursing homes…
The mask will no longer be compulsory, with the exception of transport and, again, health establishments. This reduction concerns in particular schools, shops and companies, which will keep the choice of whether or not to impose it on their employees. Cinemas, restaurants or museums were no longer subject to this obligation since the end of February.