MODERNA’S COVID VACCINE ARRIVES IN FRANCE

Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in France, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said, as the country steps up its vaccination drive following a sluggish start, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Nicolas Delame and Michel Rose reported for Reuters.

Vaccinations against the coronavirus also took place at a center in Taverny, near Paris. French medical regulator HAS said on Friday it had approved the Moderna vaccine, having previously cleared Pfizer/BioNTech’s rival.

The French presidency also said that President Emmanuel Macron had held phone conversations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss Europe’s vaccine strategy.

US-based Moderna said it would produce at least 600 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, up by 100 million doses from its previous forecast.

WEEKLY FEATURE : JOSE MARI CHAN AND THE CHRISTMAS ANTHEM