According to the most recent data made available by the French health ministry, for the end of February, France was using 24 per cent of its AstraZeneca doses, compared with 82pc for vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and 37pc for the Moderna shot.

That is partly due to logistical bottlenecks, but also because some French people don’t trust the AstraZeneca shot — despite multiple scientific studies that indicate it is safe and effective — according to interviews Reuters conducted with eight people involved in France’s vaccine rollout.

They said some of those offered the vaccine were worried about side-effects, sceptical it was effective against new variants of Covid-19, and confused by shifting evidence on how well it works for older people.

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