A 78-year-old woman became the first person to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in France, according to a tweet by Aurélien Rousseau, director general of the health agency in the Ile-de-France region.
Rousseau posted a photo of the vaccination on Twitter on Sunday and described it as “an intense moment … carrying so much hope.”
The first person vaccinated is a former housekeeper named Mauricette. She received her first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Sunday morning in a public hospital in the greater Paris area.
“I’m excited,” she said.
A 65-year-old cardiologist, Dr. Jean-Jacques Monsuez, received the vaccine shortly thereafter.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter that:
“After the green light from the health authorities, the vaccination campaign starts today, in France as well as in Europe.”
He added that the vaccine will be entirely free and voluntary.
A dozen elderly people and carers are scheduled to be vaccinated on Sunday at the symbolic launch of the French vaccination campaign in the greater Paris area and in Dijon, in north-eastern France.
The European Union launched the first phase of its mass vaccination program on Sunday. Like France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic and Spain are among the Member States that started vaccinations this weekend.
The French government says it aims to vaccinate a million people by the end of February, focusing on the oldest, most vulnerable and carers.