Demand for Covid booster jabs jumped in France after President Emmanuel Macron said a top-up dose would be necessary for people to retain their vaccine passes, the country's main appointment booking site said.

“The Macron effect” prompted 149,000 requests for shots, most during and immediately after the president's televised address on Tuesday evening, in which he warned that coronavirus cases were again on the rise, Doctolib said.

Anticipation of the tougher rules had already sparked 96,000 bookings on Monday, compared with an average of 50,000 a day in recent weeks.

A man watches France's President Emmanuel Macron gives an address on television on November 9 at a bar in Bayonne. — AP
A man watches France's President Emmanuel Macron gives an address on television on November 9 at a bar in Bayonne. — AP

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