The French public will probably not see a return to "normal" post-coronavirus life before autumn 2021, the president of France's Scientific Council, which is advising the government on the Covid-19 pandemic, said in an interview, when he underlined that vaccination campaigns will take time, reports FRANCE 24.
"Vaccines are a major source of hope but if you look at the vaccination capabilities that we will have in France and elsewhere in Europe, we will need time," immunologist and Scientific Council head Jean-François Delfraissy told France's BFM TV.
“The production of vaccines will be slower than envisioned 15 days or three weeks ago,” Delfraissy continued. “We will not face a vaccine shortfall but we will have something that is more spread out over time.”
The next six months will continue to be difficult as vaccination campaigns ramp up in the first three or four months of 2021. Asked whether that meant no return to normal life until the autumn, Delfraissy said that yes, that was likely.
Delfraissy's comments came just a day after French President Emmanuel Macron became the latest world leader to test positive for the coronavirus. Macron, 42, was tested after the "onset of the first symptoms" and will self-isolate for seven days in accordance with national regulations, his Élysée Palace office said in a statement.