Macron uses Tik Tok to promote Covid-19 vaccine

President Emmanuel Macron.

• President Emmanuel Macron released a short video on Monday, saying that vaccines are the only weapon that can defeat the fourth wave of coronavirus.
• He posts on Tik Tok and Instagram.
• Opponents accused Macron of imposing a healthy “dictatorship”, saying that these measures violated freedom of choice.

French President Emmanuel Macron tried to refute misinformation about vaccines on Tik Tok and Instagram on Monday, following a demonstration on a controversial Covid-19 health pass on the third weekend .

In a short video at the Presidential Palace in southern France, Macron replaced his usual dark suit and tie with a black T-shirt. In the video, he reiterated that the vaccine is the “only weapon” that can fight off the fourth wave of coronavirus.

He said in a selfie video: “Some of you have heard false rumors, some are rubbish and must be told,” he urged people who are shy about vaccines to directly raise their questions and concerns to him.

He spoke after an estimated 200,000 people demonstrated across France on Saturday.

The protest is the largest since Macron announced last month that people must provide vaccination certificates, test negative for Covid-19, or have recently recovered from Covid-19 to enter most museums, cinemas and stadiums.

The regulations will be extended to bars, restaurants, long-distance trains and shopping centers on August 9.

Opponents accused Macron of imposing a healthy “dictatorship”, saying that these measures violated freedom of choice.

In a scene reminiscent of the “yellow vest” anti-government protests in 2018-2019, tens of thousands of people staged protests, some of which ended in riots.

Macron, who is expected to seek re-election next year, has been the main target of demonstrators’ anger.

On Saturday night, a vaccine center in Martinique in the French Caribbean was ignited, while in the southern city of Montpellier, demonstrators gathered around a pharmacist who was testing for Covid-19, accusing him of being a “murderer” and a “traitor” “.

So far, 42.6 million people in France have been vaccinated at least once, accounting for 63.2% of the total population. Of these, 35.7 million people have been fully vaccinated.

An additional 19,600 infections were recorded on Sunday, up from less than 5,000 in mid-June-this increase is mainly due to the spread of the Delta variant.

The chairman of the government’s Covid-19 Advisory Committee, Alan Fisher, said on Monday that he believes that 90% of vaccine coverage for people over 12 years old for herd immunization can be achieved before the “fall begins.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly 112,000 people have died in France.