from people for both Covid-19 antigen and RT-PCR tests at a
drive-through testing site in Marseille on December 21, 2020.
(Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
The French government, under pressure for lagging behind
EU neighbours in rolling out Covid vaccinations, promised on
Tuesday to dispense jabs much more quickly and catch
up.
Health Minister Olivier Veran said more than 2,000 people had
been vaccinated on Monday and that the “cruising speed of
vaccinations will catch up with our neighbours in the coming
days”.
The French campaign had rolled out just over 500 doses as of
January 1, with critics calling that figure “a scandal” compared
with the 200,000 people immunised in Germany in a similar
timeframe, after the EU-wide rollout began a week ago.
President Emmanuel Macron, under pressure to take personal
responsibility, met officials including Prime Minister Jean Castex
on Monday to discuss the logjam.
“By Thursday we will increase numbers in a major way,” Veran
told RTL radio, saying that “we will be on an exponential
curve”.
France would now “amplify, accelerate and simplify” its
vaccination strategy, he said.
Veran said vaccinations for people over 75 years of age who are
not in care homes would be authorised by the end of January,
covering five million people.
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He said the campaign would also be widened to include
firefighters and home helpers over 50.
France was currently taking delivery of 500,000 doses of a
vaccine developed by Pfizer per week, Veran said.
Once approved for the EU, 500,000 doses of a vaccine by Moderna
would be added every month, he said.
Scepticism about vaccines is making the government’s task
harder.
Just 40 percent of French want to take the vaccine compared with
77 percent in Britain, according to an opinion poll last week by
Ipsos Global Advisor in partnership with the World Economic
Forum.
Veran also said that France had detected “about 10 suspected or
confirmed cases” of a new variant virus strain that emerged in
England, adding that authorities were watching the
highly-contagious mutant virus “like hawks”.
French health authorities on Monday reported 4,022 new
coronavirus cases confirmed in the previous 24 hours, taking the
total to 2.66 million.
French deaths from Covid totalled 65,415, they said, after 380
new deaths were recorded.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2021/01/05/france-promises-faster-vaccine-rollout-after-criticism/
Members of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms
have called for a strategic and holistic approach to the
implementation of the Reforms of Correctional Centres in
Nigeria.
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
Their position was made during programme organised by the
Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) in November
2020, which were part of the last quarter activities between
October and December 2020, presented in the institute’s news
digest.
![image](/2020/10/NWLRland.jpg")
Speaking, the Director General of NIALS, Professor Muhammed
Tawfiq Ladan, who was also a member of the committee called on the
federal government to implement the Correctional Service Reform
Bill in 2019, which is one of the success stories of the committee
after 10 years of struggle.
Ladan also called for the implementation of the National Justice
Policy adopted in 2019 by the Federal Executive Council, which has
one thematic area on Prison Reform and Decongestion and have been
implemented in three states.
The NIALS, in another programme, called for the regulation of
social media due to the dangers associated with fake news and hate
speeches in the country.
Stakeholders, however, said the regulation must strike a balance
between the fundamental rights of citizens as guaranteed in the
1999 Constitution and other regional and international
instruments.
Speaking at the forum, Prof Ladan drew attention to existing
laws, which can be used to address the challenge, without
legislating on a new Bill.
On her part, the General Manager, Nigerian Television Authority,
News 24, Asabe Abubakar opined that “Everyone has a responsibility
to combat the scourge of fake news by verifying information.”