78-year-old gets France's first COVID-19 vaccine

A woman named Mauricette and a cardiologist at a hospital in Paris were the first people in France to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday.

"I am a cardiologist so I am taking care of older people, so all of us health workers need to be with the patients," said Dr Jean Jacques Monsuez as he was given his shot.

They are vaccinated, we are vaccinated, we are all in the same boat.With many French people questioning the safety of the virus vaccines, the French government has been cautious in its messaging, keen to ensure that it is not seen as forcing vaccination on the public.

Instead it is counting on doctors to convince patients that the vaccine is in their, and the country's, best interests.

France's first vaccination was not broadcast on live television as it was elsewhere, and no government ministers attended.

No top officials have said they're getting the vaccine yet, instead insisting it should go to the most vulnerable first.

In a country with a large elderly population, including many with cognitive impairments, the government came under pressure from concerned families to lay out extensive guidance for collecting consent from nursing home patients before vaccinating them.

(IMAGE CREDITS:PTI)