France tries to speed up vaccination programme

France on Saturday began speeding up its national COVID-19 vaccination campaign, opening hundreds of vaccination centers over the weekend in Paris and across the country.

Paris Police Prefect Didier Lallement on Saturday said 12,000 doses were available in the capital on Saturday and Sunday, while a doctor administering doses said the campaign was focusing on targeting vaccinations as "stocks are scarce".

The weekend drive comes after the French government came under criticism for a slow start of the vaccination campaign.

Infection rates have stayed high for several weeks and virus patients currently occupy 71% of the country's intensive care units.

The country is still under a national curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m, with additional lockdown measures extended on Saturday to the region surrounding the northern port of Dunkirk.

Lockdown measures were already in place the Riviera city of Nice and the surrounding area.

French authorities have reported 88,300 virus-related deaths, one of the highest tolls in Europe.