Omicron-adapted vaccines available next week: French health minister

PARIS, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- France will launch a new vaccination campaign with Omicron-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccines next week amid another wave of infections, Health Minister Francois Braun said on Tuesday.

Speaking to the French daily news Franceinfo, the minister said a surge of infections has been reported across the country over the past three weeks.

Braun said a new booster dose will protect the at-risk groups from developing severe symptoms, including the vulnerable, those aged over 60 and health workers.

He said the general public are welcome to be vaccinated, too, if they wish.

The Omicron-adapted vaccines, approved by the French National Authority (HAS) on September 20, will be available at pharmacies and vaccination centers starting from Oct. 3, he said.

Though wearing a mask is no more mandatory in France, Braun called on the citizens to be more sensible by putting on masks at crowded places.

The French Public Health Agency has warned that "the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 has accelerated throughout the metropolitan territory with virological indicators rising sharply."

The three Omicron-adapted vaccines approved by the HAS include those of Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech targetting the Omicron variant BA.1, and that of Pfizer/BioNTech adapted for the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.