France says Omicron to be dominant variant soon, resists new restrictions

FILE PHOTO: People, wearing protective face masks, walk on Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, December 6, 2021. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

PARIS (Reuters) - France could soon see 100,000 new COVID-19 cases a day due to the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant but the government does not plan to introduce new restrictions for the time being, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday.

President Emmanuel Macron is counting on an accelerated vaccine booster programme to keep the virus in check. Veran said he expected 22-23 million booster doses will have been administered by Christmas, up from 20 million as of Wednesday.