France Investigates 400 Cases Related to Distribution of Fake Vaccine Certificates

Confirmed Patient Who Submitted Fake Certificate Dies During Treatment
Thousands of Forged Quarantine Passes Found... "Health Experts Also Involved"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The French government has announced that hundreds of investigations are underway regarding cases of organized forgery and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine certificates (health passes). It is expected that the repercussions will expand as a significant number of healthcare professionals are also reportedly involved.

On the 12th (local time), according to the AP News, G?rald Darmanin, France's Minister of the Interior, appeared on France RTL radio and stated, "Thousands of fake COVID-19 health passes have been discovered, and about 400 investigations related to the sale of fake health passes are ongoing." He added, "In some cases, healthcare professionals are also involved." However, detailed information such as how many suspects have been arrested so far has not been disclosed.

Recently in France, controversy has intensified after a woman infected with COVID-19 who visited a hospital in the Paris area died while receiving treatment with a forged health pass. It is reported that if the health pass had not been fake, it would have been known that the deceased woman was unvaccinated, allowing for more proactive measures such as antibody treatment. This has led to increasing calls for the search and arrest of those involved in distributing forged health passes.

Currently in France, without a health pass, people cannot enter places where many gather such as restaurants, cafes, cinemas, gyms, and libraries, nor can they board buses, trains, or airplanes for long-distance travel. The health pass is granted only to those who have received a COVID-19 booster shot, have tested negative in a COVID-19 test taken within the last 24 hours, or have antibodies from a previous COVID-19 infection.

Due to the spread of the Omicron variant, France, like other European countries, is facing a severe shortage of hospital beds. According to AP News, COVID-19 patients in critical condition occupy about half of the intensive care unit beds in French hospitals, and with over 100 daily deaths from COVID-19, some regions are postponing non-urgent surgeries due to the shortage of hospital beds.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.