Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

France has opened 400 investigations into networks providing fake COVID-19 health passes, the interior minister said Sunday, as virus-related hospitalizations rise sharply across the country.

The case of a woman with the virus who died in a Paris regional hospital after showing a false vaccine certificate has drawn attention in French media in recent days. The hospital’s intensive care chief said they would have given the woman immediate antibody treatment had they known that she wasn’t vaccinated.

Authorities have identified several thousand fake COVID-19 health passes in use around France, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Sunday on RTL radio. He said some 400 investigations have been opened into peddling fake passes, including some “connected to health professionals.”

He didn’t say how many people have been arrested so far, or provide details.

The government is tightening the rules on the passes, required to enter all restaurants and a growing number of events and venues. To get one, people must show proof of full vaccination, a negative virus test less than 24 hours old, or recent recovery from COVID-19.

With more confirmed infections one day last week than at any point in the pandemic, France is accelerating efforts for booster shots in hopes that is enough to reduce pressure on hospitals. Half of French intensive care units are occupied by virus patients, some regions are again delaying non-urgent surgeries, and more than 100 people with the virus are dying every day.

The government closed nightclubs and tightened social distancing measures, but is trying to avoid a new lockdown. Health Minister Olivier Veran told newspaper Le Parisien that while “the epidemic wave is violent,” there are signs the rise is starting to slow. He said 90% of people over 65 have had booster shots so far.

 

Related Stories
‹
More North Carolinians Getting COVID Shot Amid Delta Variant
Written by BRYAN ANDERSON More North Carolinians came in for a COVID-19 vaccine last week than on any given week over the past two months, according to data state health officials released Tuesday. More than 74,000 people were vaccinated for the first time, an encouraging sign that residents are increasingly taking seriously threats posed by […]
Is Japan’s Remarkable Vaccine Drive in Time for Olympics?
Written by MARI YAMAGUCHI After months of frustration and delay, Japan has hit the remarkable benchmark of 1 million vaccines a day. But with the Olympics set to start in less than a month, and only a small portion of the country vaccinated, a question lingers: Is it enough? The vaccination pace is quickening even […]
US Clears Updated COVID Boosters Targeting Newest Variants
Written by LAURAN NEERGAARD The U.S. on Wednesday authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today’s most common omicron strain. Shots could begin within days. The move by the Food and Drug Administration tweaks the recipe of shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna that already have saved millions of lives. The hope […]
National Expert: Getting Kids Vaccinated Before School is 'Best Thing to Do'
Younger children are the age demographic that had the longest waits for COVID-19 vaccines to be approved. So far, their vaccination rates reflect that gap of time, but urgency around getting those initial doses has slowed to a crawl. With a new school year being just around the corner, though, federal health officials are saying […]
Marathon US Hearings To Decide Fate of COVID Shots for Tots
Written by LAURAN NEERGAARD Parents anxious to finally vaccinate their youngest children against COVID-19, strap in: A lot is set to happen over the next week. On Wednesday, both Moderna and Pfizer will have to convince what’s essentially a science court — advisers to the Food and Drug Administration — that their shots work well in babies, toddlers and […]
Officials: Millions of COVID-19 Shots Ordered for Youngest
Millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been ordered for small children in anticipation of possible federal authorization next week, White House officials say.
Pfizer Asks FDA To Allow COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids Under 5
Written by LAURAN NEERGAARD and MATTHEW PERRONE Pfizer on Tuesday asked the U.S. to authorize extra-low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, potentially opening the way for the very youngest Americans to start receiving shots as early as March. In an extraordinary move, the Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and […]
Undertakers, Rabbis Join Global Fight Promoting COVID Shots
Written by LINDSEY TANNER In Germany, Lutheran pastors are offering COVID-19 shots inside churches. In Israel’s science-skeptical ultra-Orthodox community, trusted rabbis are trying to change minds. And in South Africa, undertakers are taking to the streets to spread the word. The funeral directors’ message: “We’re burying too many people.” A year after the COVID-19 vaccine […]
Top Stories of 2021: COVID-19 Vaccines and New Variants
To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2021. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region. Saying the presence of COVID-19 vaccines shaped our local experience this year is a vast understatement of their importance […]
France: 400 Investigations Into Fake COVID-19 Health Passes
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS France has opened 400 investigations into networks providing fake COVID-19 health passes, the interior minister said Sunday, as virus-related hospitalizations rise sharply across the country. The case of a woman with the virus who died in a Paris regional hospital after showing a false vaccine certificate has drawn attention in French media […]
›