Macron free of Covid symptoms: presidency
French President Emmanuel Macron is free of Covid-19
symptoms, his office said on Thursday, a week after he tested positive for the
coronavirus.
The president, who was in self-isolation at an
official residence near Paris from where he ran meetings remotely, no longer
needs to remain in quarantine, the Elysee Palace added.
Macron "shows no symptoms a this stage",
the statement said, and "the isolation of the President can therefore end
after seven days".
Macron had remained in charge "of the main
issues of current affairs of our country" during his self-isolation, and
would continue to do so in the coming hours and days, it said.
Macron, who had tested positive for the virus last
Thursday showing symptoms of fatigue, coughing and muscle aches, promised daily
updates on his health.
His office reported "signs of improvement"
for the first time on Wednesday, having in previous statements described the
43-year old president's condition as "stable".
The French authorities are concerned that the
Christmas holiday period could see a new spike in infections, after the
country's total Covid death toll rose to nearly 62,000 this week.
Authorities said late Wednesday that nearly 15,000
new cases had been reported in the previous 24 hours, and 278 new deaths.
A vaccination campaign is to start on Sunday, with
health workers and older people among the first to get jabs, the government
said.
The EU gave the green light for the Pfizer-BioNTech
coronavirus vaccine on Monday, paving the way for the first inoculations to
start across 27 countries soon after Christmas.
The French HAS health authority on Thursday cleared
the vaccine for use in France.
