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Vaccine booster for over 65s

Last Tuesday 9th November, President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation live on TV, to talk about the state of the pandemic and to present the latest decisions on pass sanitaires, vaccines and more. Here’s our breakdown of what was said.

Fifth wave

The pandemic is not over. A fifth wave has begun in Europe (particularly in the UK and Germany) but thanks to a concerted effort from everyone, the situation in France is promising.

To date, over 100 million vaccinations have been administered, and 51 million people are completed vaccinated, making France one of the best protected countries in the world.

Nevertheless, he cited a 40% rise in weekly contamination rates and an increase of hospitalisations as warning signs and called on the remaining 6 million unvaccinated people to make an appointment.

He said that the vaccine reduces by 11 times the chances of being admitted to ICU, and that being free implied responsibility and solidarity.

Booster shots

With billions of people vaccinated worldwide, Macron said that we now have the benefit of experience. All studies have shown that 6 months after the injection, immunity drops and consequently the risk of serious cases increases.

Vulnerable populations (all over 65s and anyone under 65 with serious health conditions) will now need to make an appointment for booster jabs six months after the last one. If you are over 65, from 15th December, proof of a booster shot will be required to extend the validity of your pass sanitaire.

Appointments are already open and available, and you can get the Covid 19 booster jab at the same time as your flu (grippe) jab with your GP.

For those aged 50 to 64, the booster jab will be made available from December.

You can find the list of available appointments via the links below.

www.vitemadose.covidtracker.fr

www.doctolib.fr

Safety measures

Macron emphasised that while the vaccine was essential, alone it cannot be sufficient. We should also continue to respect the gestes barrières and that the relaxation of measures was being pushed back to a later date.

• Masks remain in place at school
• Pass sanitaire required for public transport and venues

Economy

France is sitting at the top of European countries in terms of economic growth, with a rate of over 6%. Public spending has been carefully monitored and deficit will be less than 5% of GDP for this year.

Financial help has been offered to a wide range of industries, including a pay rise for medical professionals and investment into improving and renovating medical infrastructure.

Nevertheless, the government will continue to work to reinforce industry in a world where we are regularly experiencing shortages and inflation in terms of supplies, raw materials and energy.

Employment

Unemployment is at its lowest in almost 15 years but the government wants to achieve full employment.

Macron pledges to maintain and extend the measures already in place:

• Tax cuts for those in work
• Increasing minimum wage
• Bonuses and incentives
• Training schemes & apprenticeships

To be eligible for unemployment benefits, individuals must have worked at least six months over 2 years and prove that they are actively seeking employment.

Retirement & pensions

From 1st November, farmers’ pensions came into force but the pandemic has forced decisions on other pensions and retirement schemes to be pushed back to the new year.

The government remains committed however to the following principles:

• Raising the statutory retirement age to reflect longer life expectancy
• Raising the minimum monthly pension for a full career to a minimum 1000€
• Harmonising the rules between public and private sector to ensure fairness
• Making rules more flexible

France 2030

This is the government’s new environmental legislation, investing €30 billion over 5 years to re-establish France’s energetic independence.

It seeks to secure France’s supply of essential technologies and to boost the national economy by bringing production back from Asia and USA, to France and Europe.

The 10 sectors that France 2030 targets include:

• Decarbonisation of industry
• Electric vehicles
• Zero carbon aeroplanes
• Culture
• Health
• Space exploration
• Maritime
• Training and education

Test your French by reading more here.