The French government on Tuesday opened a giant vaccination center in the 80,000-seat Stade de France, the national stadium located in the northern suburbs of Paris, to step up vaccine rollout and provide relief to overwhelmed hospitals, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
"We accelerate vaccination. ... The center will vaccinate around 10,000 people per week," said Prime Minister Jean Castex during a visit to Stade de France, which hosted the World Cup final in 1998.
As part of its plan to speed up its vaccination program, the French government aims to open about 40 mass vaccination centers this month, and allows shots to be administrated in doctors' offices and pharmacies.
To date, over 9.5 million people in France have had at least one vaccine dose, accounting for 18.1 percent of the adult population, and 3.2 million others have completed their inoculation with two doses, according to the Health Ministry's daily figures.
"We are in a very difficult moment with this third wave," Castex said, stressing the importance of vaccination. "It is thanks to vaccination that we will overcome this terrible crisis."