France launched its annual joint vaccination campaign against Covid-19 and seasonal influenza on October 13, 2026, as surveillance data showed Covid-19 consultations surging across the country. According to France's official public service portal, the campaign targets around 19 million people in metropolitan France, with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable ahead of winter.
Monaco Life reported that SOS Médecins recorded a 26 percent increase in consultations for suspected Covid-19 during the week ending October 4 — roughly 280 additional consultations — while national surveillance has shown increasing Covid activity since August. Earlier, in the week of September 14 to 20, suspected-case consultations through SOS Médecins had jumped 76 percent, with emergency department visits up 16 percent among children and 67 percent among adults.
According to Santé publique France, wastewater surveillance in the Île-de-France region showed SARS-CoV-2 concentrations reaching levels not seen since October 2024, functioning as an early indicator of heightened viral circulation. Despite the increases, the agency says the impact on healthcare services remains relatively limited for now.
For the 2026–27 season, France is using an updated Comirnaty vaccine targeting the XFG Omicron subvariant. The campaign particularly aims at people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals, those with chronic conditions, care-home residents, and healthcare workers. Both Covid-19 and flu vaccines can be administered during the same appointment at two separate injection sites, and Covid vaccines are fully covered by France's Assurance Maladie.
Health authorities allocated just under 10 million Covid-19 doses alongside 15 million flu doses. Officials are urging the French to get vaccinated "as soon as possible in October, because we do not know when the viruses will start to circulate actively."
The campaign will run into January 2027 for influenza. French health authorities have maintained the joint flu-COVID rollout rather than bringing the COVID campaign forward, judging that the current wave — while real — remains more moderate than previous years and does not yet warrant emergency measures.
Photo: Claudio Centonze, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons