A healthcare worker prepares a dose of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a drive-in vaccination center in San Salvador, El Salvador, July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas
SAN SALVADOR, Sept 24 (Reuters) - El Salvador will begin administering a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to various groups including the elderly, healthworkers and people with underlying health conditions, President Nayib Bukele said on Friday.
The Central American nation of roughly 6.4 million people has obtained some 12 million vaccines since February.
Third shots would be given to people including those aged over 60, frontline health staff, teachers, the armed forces, police and firefighters, as well as Salvadorans with pre-existing health problems, Bukele said on Twitter.
"Considering the success of the third dose in Israel, we have decided to start with a third dose in El Salvador," the president said, noting the government would enable people to start making appointments for the jabs from Sunday.
El Salvador joins a growing group of Latin American nations that are giving booster shots to certain groups of at-risk people, including Panama, Ecuador and Chile. read more
Reporting by Gerardo Arbaiza; Editing by Sam Holmes
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Many people who stood in line to get a shot Saturday claimed they weren't aware of the financial incentive program
ST. LOUIS Show me the money!
That could have been the theme starting Saturday in St. Louis city and county clinics where gift cards now serve as an incentive to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Outside the 12th and Park Recreation Center, there was a line out the door to the COVID-19 vaccination clinic. It was not yet 10 a.m.
When Heather Sand was asked why she waited this long to get vaccinated, she responded, Its a good question. I wasnt sure about it, I guess.
While waiting in line, Mike Peifer was asked if he was getting vaccinated today because of the gift cards.
Are they giving out gift cards? said Peifer. Thats great.
People who turn out vaccination clinics in the city will now walk out with a $100 gift card.
Orlando Smith said, My mom stayed on me to get it. So, I thought I would come today to get it.
To be honest, yes, said Smith, I was going to get the shot next week, but this is an added plus.
A man who identified himself as Steve Johnson was inside, going through the registration process with a nurse, then he got the shot.
Not too bad at all, he said, leaning back in his chair and rolling down his sleeve. Cant even tell.
Forty-five minutes later, as he was leaving the building, Steve held up his gift card and showed why some people waited until today.
Oh yeah, said Steve. Couple hours, tops.
Im already vaccinated, said Liz Lesaulnier. Im a teacher. Lesaulnier was there because it was her oldest sons twelfth birthday. And he got vaccinated. I just wanted to be protected from COVID, said Andrew Lesaulnier. I had it once, and it wasnt fun.
At vaccination clinics in St. Louis County, the gift cards are not given out on location. Instead, they are mailed to the persons home, later. At the Rock Road location of the St. Louis County Library, a sign inside explained the county incentive program offers $150 worth of gift cards.
Twelve-year-old Karth Chirunomula needed no such incentive.
If I get the vaccine, said Chirunomula, I will have a lower chance of getting COVID-19, which will prevent me from spreading it to my neighbors.
A nurse at the county clinic gave people a good piece of advice take a picture of the front and back of your vaccine card, so you have a record in case you lose it.
The Independent Allocation Vaccine Group (IAVG) was established by the WHO in January 2021 and is composed of 12 members who serve in their personal, independent capacities to review and assess Vaccine Allocation Decision (VAD) proposals generated by the COVAX Facility Joint Allocation Taskforce (JAT) on the volumes of vaccines that should be allocated to each participant under COVAX within a given time frame[1].
The IAVG continues to be very concerned about the evolution of the pandemic, and its health, social and economic impacts, and offers its full support to COVAX Partners to ensure that critical messages are channelled to the relevant fora to raise the awareness of governments, manufacturers and stakeholders of challenges in access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The IAVG is concerned about the 25% reduction in supply forecast for the fourth quarter of 2021. It is also concerned about the prioritization of bilateral deals over international collaboration and solidarity, export restrictions and decisions by some countries to administer booster doses to their adult populations.
During its last meeting on 17 September, the IAVG revisited issues previously raised pertaining to vaccine supply, vaccine allocation, and vaccine administration and offers the following perspectives:
The IAVG continues to be concerned by the low supply of vaccines to COVAX, and reiterates the need for manufacturers, vaccine producing and high-coverage countries to prioritize vaccine equity and transparency, the sharing of information about manufacturing capacity and supply schedules to COVAX, as well as vaccine access plans. While recognizing the need for additional doses to protect certain vulnerable, immune-compromised populations, the IAVG suggests countries collect and review more evidence before implementing policies regarding the administration of booster doses to their populations.
The recent exceptional allocation round at which the recommendation was made that the October COVAX supply be fully dedicated to those countries with a low population coverage, after accounting for all sources of vaccines, is a step forward in achieving equitable access. The IAVG supports the decision of prioritizing COVAX supply for those countries most likely relying solely on COVAX for access to COVID-19 vaccines and supports the continuation of this approach in future rounds.
The IAVG notes that so far only three manufacturers have waived indemnification and liability for use in humanitarian settings, and none have been waived for use at country level. This has consequences for vaccines allocated to the humanitarian buffer, as well as potentially setting precedents for future use.
The IAVG has considered the information and data on absorptive capacity in countries with low total population coverage and brings the following issues to the attention of the COVAX Partners for further consideration:
COVAX remains the main global access mechanism able to serve all countries and ensure equitable access. The IAVG stands strongly behind this initiative.
------------------------------
[1] The IAVG (https://www.who.int/groups/iavg) acknowledges that the role of the WHO within COVAX is to provide guidance on vaccine policy, regulation, safety, research and development, vaccine allocation, and country readiness and delivery, in partnership with UNICEF. As of today, the IAVG has validated allocation through COVAX for a total of 362.8 million doses of vaccines.
OLYMPIA (Wash.) Questions surrounding religious exemptions are pressing for those who dont want to be vaccinated.
But many large organized religions are not opposed to vaccines.
This collision of vaccine mandates, religion and personal choice could leave the issue up to individual employers whether it be government agencies, hospitals or private businesses to determine if a workers belief qualifies them to skip a COVID-19 shot.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslees proclamation declared that those who have a medical accommodation or a sincerely held religious belief can opt out of the vaccine. Thousands of state workers hope to make use of that escape clause.
More than 6% of state workers have filed for religious exemptions, according to initial data released Tuesday. Another 1.5% have requested a medical exemption.
According to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism have no prohibition on vaccines. Some Christian denominations have an objection to vaccines, one of the most well-known being Christian Scientists.
But many religious leaders have actually encouraged their members to get the COVID-19 shot.
Pope Francis has urged Catholics to receive the vaccine. Leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement last month urging its members to get the vaccine.
Christian Scientists often opt out of vaccines, as many believe prayer can cure disease. Lance Matteson, a spokesperson for the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Washington, wrote in an email that choosing not to get vaccinated is a conscientious choice to seek help through spiritual means.
While the church urges members to make their own choices regarding vaccination, a statement from its board of directors also said it recognizes the importance of cooperating with measures considered necessary by public health officials.
And most of all, we hope that our collective care and effort can promote public health and healing to all affected by disease and contagion around the world, the statement reads.
Matteson said he knows some church members who have chosen to get vaccinated and some who have not. The church does not want any members to feel pressure either way, he said.
Matteson said the church has always appreciated the availability of religious accommodations from vaccine requirements.
But that privilege was never intended to pit the conscientious practice of Christian Scientists as a religious minority against the well-being of society at large, he wrote.
Getting those who are religious and hesitant of the vaccine may take the work of religious leaders and groups, a survey done by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Interfaith Youth Core showed.
The survey found Jewish Americans are the most likely to be accepting of the vaccine, with 85% of respondents at the time saying they accept the vaccines. Hispanic and white Catholics, other non-Christians, other Christians, religiously affiliated and white mainline Protestants all had more than 70% of respondents approve of the vaccine. White evangelical Protestants are the least likely to accept the vaccine with 24% saying they would not get vaccinated.
The survey, which reported results in both March and June, found that faith-based approaches to vaccine hesitancy, such as encouragement from religious leaders or religious groups giving out information, had a significant influence on increasing vaccine acceptance.
Where religious freedom fits into exemptions, mandates
As more mandates come out, so do the questions of legality, specifically on violating religious freedom.
If any cases are brought to state or federal court, determining the legality of mandates and exemption responses will be based on numerous factors, said Shaakirrah Sanders, a University of Idaho law professor.
Religious freedom comes from two places in the First Amendment: the establishment clause, which says the government cannot establish a religion or programs that exclude religions, and the exercise clause, which says the government cant do anything to prevent free exercise of religion.
Exemptions to certain laws because of religion have been established both by statute and by case law from the U.S. Supreme Court.
But you dont get an exemption in every case, Sanders said.
On vaccine mandates, the government may argue theyre not forcing anyone to change their religious beliefs, only forcing them to change their behavior, Sanders said.
For any lawsuits that come out of these mandates, the court will likely take into account what alternatives to vaccine the mandate offers, such as testing, an individuals consistency on vaccines; whether their specific job can be accommodated in any way and the state of emergency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
If a state or federal mandate offers a testing option instead of receiving the vaccine, for example, a court may decide that it does not violate a persons religious freedom because there are options, Sanders said.
The vaccine mandates in Washington state do not offer a testing option instead of vaccination. That could be a factor that turns a particular case, Sanders said.
The court may then have to look for which industries are subject to the mandate and if there are other options for a worker to stay employed, such as working from home.
Its hard to know definitively how a court will rule, she said.
Then, it may come down to the individuals own beliefs.
Under current law, individuals looking to get religious exemptions dont need to be a part of organized religion, Sanders said, and they dont have to believe in all tenets of that religion.
So, despite numerous religious leaders calling on their members to get vaccinated, those who refuse due to religious reasons can still do so as long as it is sincerely held.
However, anyone who brings a case to court will likely have to prove that they are opposed to all vaccines and not just the COVID-19 vaccine, Sanders said. If they only object to one, that could present problems for them.
Another factor could be the COVID-19 pandemic itself.
In the context of the First Amendment, there is no emergency exemption, Sanders said. However, the scope of those freedoms could be hindered, such as by not limiting the number of people allowed in a church at one time due to social distancing.
The state of the economy might play a role in these decisions as well, especially if there are industries still struggling to get workers, Sanders said.
Weve seen their inability to have any predictability on how a case will turn, Sanders said. Thats risky for people bringing a claim, and its also risky for the government making a regulation.
One thing that is predictable, however, is the timing of these cases.
Federal and state courts are still backed up, Sanders said, and no one knows how long the pandemic will continue. If the pandemic eases by the end of next spring, courts may find the cases on mandates moot.
CEDAR FALLS/HUDSON, Iowa (KWWL) - As employers and schools continue to mandate vaccines and masks, the amount of religious exemptions is going up. Local pastors say religion is a legitimate excuse to not receive the vaccine, or have to wear a mask.
Truth and honesty are all pastors are asking for when using faith to get out of something like a COVID-19 vaccine or wearing a mask to protect yourself and others from the virus.
"A lot of it is rooted in caution and that hindered conscience," Faith Baptist Church Pastor Sam Jones said.
As many continue to question whether or not religion is a legitimate reason to be exempt from a COVID-19 vaccine, local pastors say, it is.
"We're not saying that every Christian should think this way or that way about it but again taking it on a case by case basis," Candeo Church Teaching Pastor Jake Hering said.
The church members who have concerns, have worries about the long-term effects of the vaccine and mask-wearing. Many have brought up mental and physical health concerns.
"We could see how someone can maybe want to be exempt from those things at least for now," Hering said.
Hering said the pastors at the Cedar Falls church don't impose their own personal beliefs when signing the exemptions, but rather listen to the reasons the church members have.
The pastors also don't just provide exemptions for anyone. The Candeo Church tries to only accept exemption requests from church members, after asking questions and having a conversation.
"Is this truly a conscience level issue for you from a religious standpoint? Or is this something else that you're just trying to use your faith as a cover for something else? Because we don't want that either because that's disingenuous," Hering said.
Not too far away, Faith Baptist Church in Hudson is taking a similar stance. The pastor there already signing nearly 50 exemptions related to COVID-19.
"It's an out of bounds move by the civil government or even by a business or something like that. Something that doesn't have that jurisdiction," Pastor Sam Jones said.
Jones even wrote up a four-paragraph letter template to provide churches and Christians who believe they have "no responsibility to obey any government outside of the scope that has been designated by God."
"Really what it is is self-government, it's not somebody else governing them so that's outside of their scope too so I try not to think about what other people feel or think," Jones said.
Both Pastor Jones and Hering believe that folks should be honest and not abuse religion in order to benefit themselves and maybe even their political values just to get an exemption. Neither of them has had any issues with the religious exemptions being rejected.
Candeo Church pastors have signed about three exemptions, two of which Hering said were for students at the Cedar Falls Schools exempting them from having to wear a mask as their mask mandate was temporarily reinstated.
US COVID deaths reach 675,000, matching death toll of 1918 Spanish flu
The U.S. has surpassed 675,000 COVID-19 deaths. That's roughly the same amount of Americans killed by the 1918-19 Spanish flu.
Staff Video, USA TODAY
Three times in the past week and a half, Record Searchlight print editions included an ad rife with dangerous disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines and our local public health department.
This ad should never have been published. It relies on a mischaracterization of the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and a variety of false and unsupported statements.
Most importantly, the ad turns the truth on its head. Let me start there: Vaccines are saving lives. COVID-19 is killing people in our community every week. Every credible source of information shows this. Shasta County Public Health employees go to work every day trying to protect the local community and have been straight-up heroic in their resilience over the course of this pandemic.
Since the ads author relied heavily on references to VAERS, I spoke with Dr. John Suat the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Immunization Safety Office. Su is the lead for the VAERS safety monitoring system. I asked him to review the claims and set the record straight.
I think this (ad) is a good example of how VAERS data can be misunderstood, or worse, misrepresented, Su told me. VAERS is designed to detect potential problems. It is not designed to determine if the vaccine is the cause of the adverse event.
A series of things went wrong. Our company has a process for ads like this and this ad rightly was flagged. Even so, human error allowed it to reach the page. Then, after running twice and being flagged a second time, it ran a third and final time.
What publishes in the Record Searchlight is ultimately my responsibility. I pledge to do what I can to set this right.
First, as Su noted, it misuses VAERS data by claiming it shows a cause and effect. Its just a surveillance system meant to pick up as many signals as possible so the real science of interpretation can begin.
In addition, the ad gets the VAERS data wrong. It claims 14,000 deaths have been documented in the system. In actuality, the VAERS database includes 7,899 reports of death in the U.S. (the 14,000 figure likely came from the CDC briefly and mistakenly including foreign cases at one point in July an error that was quickly corrected).
Anyone can report an adverse event to VAERS. And, as Su pointed out, I could go in for my vaccine and then walk across the street and be hit by a bus. The death would qualify for inclusion because it occurred after my shot. Its a bit of a stretch to say the vaccine killed me.
In fact, of those 7,899 reported deaths, only three have been fully studied and found to be the direct result of vaccine injection. Those were extremely rare reactions to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The ad builds on the 14,000 error by multiplying it claiming without basis that only 1% to 5% of adverse vaccine events are reported to VAERS. That statement may come from an outdated study on the rate at which rashes were reported after vaccination, but more recent research has shown a much higher rate of reporting for more serious events.
Kerri Schuette of Shasta County Public Health has written a lengthy point-by-point response to the ad that we are publishing in full in the Sunday edition of the Record Searchlight as well as online. I urge you to read it.
In short, the ad accused local officials of failing to investigate and report injuries and deaths due to COVID-19 vaccines. As Schuette notes, there has not been evidence of even a single Shasta County death from these vaccines. And the public health department reports everything it is supposed to. The ads author seems to misunderstand the agencys role.
As for COVID-19 itself, it has caused 290 deaths in Shasta County.
To compound all of this, the ad was what we refer to as issue-based. Our policies require that even if they are acceptable for publication (which this wasnt), issue-based and political ads must be clearly labeled so they cannot be confused with news content. That did not happen in this case.
First, write this column. I want to personally say Im sorry this happened and urge our readers to examine critically any claims they encounter especially those that contradict the vast body of expertise that has developed around this pandemic. If youre interested in tracking actual VAERS data on these vaccines, go to the source: bit.ly/3kDDv4w.
Second, we are running the response from public health in its entirety.
Related: A recent Record Searchlight ad contained disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. These are the facts.
Finally, we will donate the amount of money received from that ad toward the COVID-19 response in our community.
This pandemic is a life and death situation and falsehoods about it are killing people. Too many have been lured by the dark corners of the internet and some authoritative-sounding YouTube and Instagram videos into believing conspiracy theories. Our best chance of getting through this is sticking to the truth and to verified facts from actual experts and scientists.
These vaccines have been under the greatest scrutiny of any vaccine in history, arguably, Su said. You can see that these vaccines are very safe from all the data weve been able to accumulate.
I couldnt be prouder of the work our local news team has done to cover the pandemic. It has been timely, accurate and informative. The publication of this ad pains me because it distracts from that work. But our mission is, and will always be, to tell you the truth.
Silas Lyons is executive editor for USA TODAY Network newsrooms in Northern and Central California and Nevada. He supports dedicated teams of reporters that investigate wrongdoing, swarm breaking news and tell stories of triumph and human kindness. If you believe in this work, please consider a subscription.
When Luisa Moore went to get a COVID-19 vaccination in April, she wished that her longtime partner, David Kelsey, had joined her.
But Kelsey, she said, adamantly refused to seek a vaccination.
Four months later, as Kelsey lay on a bed in the intensive care unit at Winter Haven Hospital, struggling to breathe after a diagnosis of COVID-19, he texted Moore to share his regrets.
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He said, As soon as I get out of the hospital, Im going to get the vaccine, Moore said.
But Kelsey never had the opportunity. He died Sept. 13 at age 50.
What I would like to tell to people is that they should get vaccinated because otherwise theyre risking lives, Moore said. Theyre risking to lose a loved one or their own lives.
Kelsey spent 22 years as an employee with the Florida Department of Corrections in its probation services division. He worked as a correctional probation senior supervisor at the Winter Haven office.
Moore said she and Kelsey had been a couple for 15 years. Though not legally married, they shared a home in Winter Haven and possessions and regarded each other as spouses, said Moore, a native of Venezuela.
Kelsey was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving for six years as a unit supply specialist in Saudi Arabia. He received a Kuwaiti Liberation Medal and other awards, according to an obituary prepared by family members. After his discharge he spent six years in the U.S. Army Reserves, assigned to the 418th Military Police Detachment in Daytona Beach.
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Kelsey, who had a bachelors degree in math from the University of Central Florida, rose through the ranks of the Department of Corrections after beginning his employment in 1999. He became a supervisor after earning a masters degree in 2009 in administration of justice and security from the University of Phoenix.
For 16 years, he worked a second job as a security officer for the Mountain Lake Corporation in Lake Wales.
He used to work every single day, Moore said.
Kelsey also served as a guest lecturer for a criminology class at Polk State College, according to his LinkedIn profile. In his limited free time, Kelsey hiked and camped, collected guns and made frequent trips to a local firing range.
Moore said she tried to convince Kelsey to seek a vaccination against COVID-19 after they became available to the public last spring.
In other news: Polk County seeks applications for remaining $10.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds
He wanted to wait, Moore said. He didnt trust the vaccine. He said he wanted to see more studies.
She added: I had a conversation about it, that he should do that, that that could save his life, but he was very stubborn. He didnt want to do anything with the vaccine.
Moore said she and Kelsey both began feeling possible COVID-19 symptoms in early August. They went to the emergency room at Winter Haven Hospital on Aug. 9, and Kelsey was admitted. Moore said she grew tired of waiting and left after about three hours.
Moore endured what she called a mild case of COVID, with coughing, fatigue and dizziness that lasted about three weeks.
Winter Haven Hospital, like most hospitals during the latest surge of the pandemic, does not allow routine visits to patients in COVID units. Moore said she called Kelsey often, even after he was intubated, sedated and placed on a mechanical ventilator about two weeks after being admitted.
More: COVID hospitalizations drop at Lakeland Regional Health, but cases continue to stress system
Moore said a nurse held the phone near Kelseys ear, and she told him that she loved him.
I used to call him, and the nurses used put the phone on his ear and I used to talk to him, Moore said. And the nurse told me that he used to move his hand and he smiled, and the ventilator moved, so he reacted to my talking.
Kelseys condition worsened, and he developed double pneumonia and a blood infection, Moore said. A nurse called on the afternoon of Sept. 13 and urged Moore to come to the hospital, where she was allowed into Kelseys room for an end-of-life visit.
At about 11 p.m., Kelseys heart stopped, and a team of what Moore described as about 30 workers crowded in the room and attempted to revive him, without success.
I was there with him when he passed away, Moore said. It was horrible. I dont wish that to anybody. It was very hard to see that. I still have flashbacks about it.
Another loss: Polk County Sheriffs Office loses another to COVID-19
Kelsey had no relatives living in Florida. Moore said she plans to hold a memorial service for Kelseys friends, and she said the Department of Corrections will conduct a tribute for co-workers on Oct. 1.
Kelseys family plans a private ceremony on Nov. 14, which would have been his 51st birthday.
Moores disappointment that her partner chose not to get a vaccination doesnt dim her admiration for him.
He was a very good man, she said.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.
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So what are different governments doing to encourage those who have not been vaccinated, for whatever reason, to get the shot?
While 72% of Belgium's population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, rates vary widely across the country of about 11.5 million people.
Authorities are now increasing pressure on vaccine holdouts in the capital in the hope of boosting vaccination rates.
While restrictions such as the mandatory wearing of face masks indoors have been eased elsewhere in the country, they remain in place for Brussels because of its lower vaccination rate and the strain that Covid-19 cases are placing on the city's hospitals.
And from October 1, the regional government in Brussels will also require residents to show a "Covid pass" to prove that they have been vaccinated or have recently tested negative for the virus before they can enter restaurants, bars or fitness clubs, according to Reuters.
This may go some way to encourage reluctant younger residents to get the shot. According to official figures, only 46% of those aged 18 to 24 in Brussels have received at least one vaccine dose, compared with 86% for the same age group in Flanders and 72% in Wallonia.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo had harsh words for the nation last Friday.
"Those who do not get vaccinated are responsible for the fact that stricter rules remain necessary in some places," he said. "Intensive care is rapidly becoming a gathering place for the unvaccinated. We cannot accept that as a society. No one has the right to voluntarily put other people at risk."
Kenneth Coenye, chief medical officer at the Sint-Jan Clinic in Brussels, told CNN that during the last weekend of August, only four out of 70 patients being treated in Covid ICUs in the city were vaccinated. "It's very painful, of course, because they don't only get sick, they die. And that is so completely preventable," he said.
Speaking Saturday, the leader of Wallonia -- Belgium's largest region -- urged citizens who have not yet received their Covid-19 vaccination "to understand the consequences of their inaction and procrastination."
"We are not done with this damned virus because vaccination coverage remains insufficient," Minister-President Elio Di Rupo said. "The unvaccinated bear a heavy responsibility for themselves, and those close to them. The time has therefore come for everyone to examine their conscience."
France: Health pass boosts vaccine uptake
Measures proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron this summer have had a marked impact on vaccine hesitancy.
Under legislation announced by Macron on July 12, people in France have since August been required to carry a Covid health pass, or "pass sanitaire," to enter premises including bars, restaurants, cinemas and theaters, and many outdoor public spaces.
The pass -- which shows proof of either vaccination, a negative Covid-19 test or of past infection -- is also required for travel on long-distance public transport and to visit medical facilities.
From September 30, children aged 12 and above will also have to comply with health pass rules. Workers in sites under the health pass mandate have themselves needed to be inoculated since August 30, and from October 15 this will also apply to health workers.
Macron's July 12 announcement prompted tens of thousands of protesters to take to the streets, calling for the government to scrap the new rules. However, it was also followed by an immediate spike in demand for vaccine appointments.
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal hailed what he called a "French success" on Wednesday. "We surpassed at the end of last week the threshold of 50 million vaccinated individuals and this number continues to rise," he said, adding that 14 million individuals had been incentivized to be vaccinated since July 12.
But despite this, Attal warned that vigilance was still needed.
Some areas, particularly in the south and east of the country, still have relatively lower Covid-19 vaccination rates, including the northern half of Corsica, where 59.7% of the population has received at least one dose, according to Ameli, France's national health insurance body. The next lowest ranking are Seine-Saint-Denis, outside Paris, at 59.8%, Alpes de Haute Provence at 64.7% and Bouches-du-Rhne, home to the city of Marseille, where 64.9% of the population have received at least one dose.
Meanwhile, figures for France's overseas territories are significantly lower than for the mainland.
"In several territories -- notably Guyana, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia -- the situation remains extremely concerning and requires both the continuation of preventative measures and reinforcements," Attal said.
Only 18.4% of the population in Guyana has received at least one vaccine dose, according to figures from Ameli.
Some 587,000 people in France have already received a Covid-19 booster shot, Attal added. "I implore the French citizens who have not been vaccinated to do so, just as I implore our elderly to resort to the booster option," he said.
Italy: All workers will have to show a health pass
Italy's government extended its mandatory health pass to all workers on September 16 in a bid to improve vaccine coverage. The measure is due to come into force on October 15.
The country had already required all health workers to be vaccinated. And, since August 6, a "certificazione verde," or green pass, has been needed to enter cultural sites such as museums or galleries, entertainment and sports venues, theme parks, spas, and to eat indoors. This was extended to include domestic flights, train travel between regions, as well as sea travel on September 1.
The latest measure was introduced to "make the vaccination campaign even stronger," said Health Minister Roberto Speranza.
Just two days later, on September 18, the government commissioner in charge of the vaccination campaign recorded a countrywide increase in bookings of first Covid-19 vaccine doses of between 20% and 40%, compared to the previous week.
According to government figures, over 76% of the population aged 12 and over is fully vaccinated, while around 82% has received at least one shot.
But take-up still lags in some parts of Italy.
According to the Gimbe Foundation, based on the data provided by the Health Ministry and the National Institute of Statistics, the areas with the lowest Covid-19 vaccination rates are the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, in the South Tyrol Alps, and the regions of Calabria and Sicily, in the far south of the country.
In Bolzano, 61.3% of the total population has had two doses, while the figure stands at 63.7% for Calabria and 62.7% for Sicily.
Thomas Widmann, who heads the Bolzano health department, told CNN in a written message that a variety of factors contributed to South Tyrol's lower vaccination rate.
"The hypotheses range from a greater propensity to homemade remedies, like medicinal herbs used in peasant tradition; there are those who assume a more marked anti-authoritarian tendency than elsewhere, for historical reasons; but I think more practical hypotheses should also be considered, such as logistical difficulties," he said.
"For those who live at the bottom of a mountain valley, going to a city vaccination center can mean wasting a lot of time."
A vaccine bus service was launched in July to reach the more remote areas of South Tyrol.
Meanwhile, Sicily's regional president, Nello Musomeci, has made frequent appeals for its population to get vaccinated, describing it as a "civic duty" in a message to the island's mayors last month. "How unfair it would be to make everyone pay the hard price of those who do not want to get vaccinated!" he said.
Despite such exhortations, the announcement of the mandatory health pass for all workers led to an increase of only 5% in the number of people aged 20 and 59 booking vaccinations in Sicily in the week September 15-21.
Germany: No more compensation for unvaccinated workers who lose pay
Vaccinations in Germany are not compulsory. But authorities have been stepping up measures that make life increasingly inconvenient for people who remain unvaccinated against Covid-19.
On Wednesday, the German Health Ministry announced new rules that mean unvaccinated workers will no longer receive compensation for lost pay if coronavirus measures forced them into quarantine.
The new rules will come into force from November 1 and will affect people who test positive for Covid-19 and those returning from countries designated as "high risk" Covid-19 areas, Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters.
These countries currently include the United Kingdom, Turkey and parts of France, according to Germany's public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Unvaccinated travelers from these "high risk" areas are required to quarantine for at least five days. Those who are fully vaccinated or have recently recovered from Covid-19 are not.
Spahn defended the new rules, asking: "Why should others pay for the fact that someone has decided not to be vaccinated?"
He stressed, however, that the new rules were a matter of fairness to everyone. "Some people will say this means pressure for the unvaccinated. I think we have to look at it the other way around -- it is also a question of fairness," he said.
The German trade union confederation (DGB) criticized the move, saying it dumped responsibility for the fight against the pandemic onto employees. "We still reject mandatory vaccination through the back door," DGB chairman Reiner Hoffmann told Editor Network Germany.
Germany's Health Ministry had previously announced that Covid-19 tests, which the unvaccinated must undertake to be allowed to dine inside restaurants, for example, will stop being free of charge from October 11.
A total of 63.6% of the German population had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of Thursday, according to the RKI -- under the 85% threshold deemed necessary by the RKI for herd immunity.
CNN's Joseph Ataman contributed to this report.
Erie, Pennsylvania (WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com) On Friday, Governor Tom Wolf announced that 85% of Pennsylvanians aged 18 and older have received their first COVID-19 vaccination.
On Friday, September 24th, vaccine providers across the commonwealth have administered 12,645,207 COVID-19 vaccines. The commonwealth ranks 9th nationally in first doses administered, according to a news release from Governor Wolfs office.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced last week that, since January 2021, 97% of COVID-19 related deaths and 95 percent of reported hospitalizations due to COVID-19 were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people, the release reported.
The data is clear: COVID-19 vaccinations save lives. In fact, the data shows that compared to unvaccinated people, fully vaccinated individuals are seven times less likely to get COVID-19 and eight times less likely to due from COVID-19. We cannot stress the importance of getting vaccinated enough. Vaccines are safe and effective. Please, get yours today.
Click here to visit Your Local Vaccination Headquarters to find out more information on scheduling your vaccine.
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TD Garden is the latest sports venue to impose requirements around coronavirus vaccination for fans looking to attend games.
Fans 12 and older looking to attend Boston Bruins or Celtics games this season will be required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or produce a negative result from a qualifying test to enter the arena beginning Sept. 30.
The rules around testing and vaccination apply to anyone entering the building fans, players, coaches, referees, vendors and others.
Per the city of Bostons current indoor face covering mandate, anyone over the age of 2 is also required to wear a mask inside TD Garden except while actively eating or drinking, as permitted.
TD Garden officials made the decision at a meeting last week, opting to impose stricter regulations as the delta variant continues to spread, fueling the pandemic in Massachusetts.
Our primary goal is to keep our fans, guests, employees, players and performers safe, Amy Latimer, president of TD Garden, said in a statement. We have worked diligently with public health officials, experts and our industry leaders and have a shared belief that this is the best approach to keep live events going.
The regulations take effect on the date of the first Bruins preseason home game and less than a month before the Bruins and Celtics start their 2021-22 regular seasons.
The rules will also apply to fans attending any TD Gardens upcoming concerts, which includes J. Cole, Michael Buble and others in the next month.
TD Garden officials said COVID policies will continue to be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis.
TD Garden officials said they will accept the original Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination card or a digital copy of the vaccination card that can be checked against a valid ID as proof of full vaccination. For guests 18 years or older, valid forms of ID include drivers license, state identification card or passport.
To satisfy the testing requirement, TD officials will accept a printout or digital copy of a negative antigen test sampled within 24 hours of the event ora negative molecular/PCR test sampled within 72 hours of the event as proof.
The policy stresses that self-administered at-home rapid/antigen tests will not be accepted.
