COVID-19 in France
France experienced five major COVID waves, high initial vaccine hesitancy overcome by the passe sanitaire, and over 160,000 deaths.
Key Data
| Metric | Data |
| Total confirmed cases | ~38 million |
| Official deaths | >160,000 |
| Major waves | 5 (March 2020, Oct 2020, Apr 2021, Jul 2021, Dec 2021–Jan 2022) |
| Health pass introduced | July 2021 (passe sanitaire) |
| Vaccines used | Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen |
| Health authority | Santé Publique France (SPF) |
Vaccine Hesitancy and the Passe Sanitaire
France has historically had Europe's highest vaccine hesitancy. By early 2021, polls showed 40–45% of French adults expressing reluctance or refusal toward COVID vaccination. The government's response was the passe sanitaire — a digital or paper certificate showing vaccination, recent negative PCR test, or COVID recovery — required to enter restaurants, cinemas, train stations, and large events from July 2021. The announcement triggered major protests (hundreds of thousands marching across France). However, vaccination rates surged: within three weeks of the announcement, five million additional people booked vaccine appointments. By the end of 2021, over 75% of the adult population was fully vaccinated.
France's Five Waves
France experienced a particularly pronounced five-wave pattern. The initial spring 2020 wave heavily hit Paris and the Grand Est region (Alsace). The second wave (October–November 2020) was broader and led to a second national lockdown. The third wave (spring 2021) saw Alpha variant dominance. The fourth wave (summer 2021) was driven by Delta, particularly among the unvaccinated. The fifth Omicron wave (December 2021–January 2022) saw record case counts exceeding 500,000 per day in January 2022 — the highest in Europe at the time — though severe disease was markedly lower due to vaccination.
Get COVID Alerts
FAQ
Yes. The passe sanitaire is widely credited with a dramatic acceleration in vaccination uptake. After President Macron's announcement on July 12, 2021, vaccination appointments surged by over 2 million in the following 48 hours. Research published in Nature found the pass led to a 13 percentage point increase in vaccination rates compared to counterfactual projections.
France's COVID response was mixed. The first wave in 2020 led to acute hospital strain, particularly in Paris ICUs. France was slow to ramp up testing and delayed some public health measures. However, France's vaccine program eventually achieved high coverage, and French clinical contributions (including dexamethasone research at Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris) were significant.
Sources: Santé Publique France COVID bulletins; INSEE excess mortality; Nature (Oliu-Barton et al. passe sanitaire analysis); ECDC France COVID data.
Related: COVID-19 overview · Italy COVID · Germany COVID