From Monday 12 April, France begins vaccination for people over 55. The article by Enrico Martial
From Monday 12 April, France begins vaccination for people over 55 years old. On 9 April, 16.5% of the population had received at least one dose of the vaccine – in Italy 14.39% – but these are similar trends across the European Union, although France and Germany have increased their rates in recent days. daily administrations. Out of one million inhabitants, the three countries were in line, just over 20% of doses compared to their population, the modest differences concern the distributions between first and second doses.
In any case, it is a sign of acceleration. The French vaccination plan provided for access to vaccinations from the age of 75 starting from January 18, from the age of 70 starting from March 31 (with comorbidities from March 1), from the age of 60 starting from April 16 (with comorbidities from March 31 ), from 50 years from May 15 (with comorbidities from February 25, considering the people at work in the categories exposed).
Cases of vaccines outside this calendar are also significant in France: at the large centers (the “vaccinodromes”, or stadiums) groups of people, from dozen to fifty, have often formed at the end of the day, awaiting any renunciation and of vaccines to inject. In addition, temporary vaccination sites have been organized in large cities, with social and health personnel recovering elderly people even on the street in popular neighborhoods. Finally, the same family doctors, who have been assigned doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine, have proceeded in relative autonomy to select their patients according to the comorbidities and their willingness to get vaccinated. THE RECALL AT 42 DAYS INSTEAD OF 28
In addition to announcing the start of vaccinations from the age of 55, the period between the first and second dose has been extended, which from April 14 will pass from 28 to 42 days. This should allow the expansion of the number of people vaccinated with the first dose, which – with unchanged deliveries – should be about 1.8 million more in the second half of May, without affecting the capacity of protection, according to the health authorities. For frail people, however, the 28-day recall rule will still apply.
The main focus is always fixed on the most advanced age groups. From March 31st, a campaign of phone calls and SMS to people over 75 who have not yet booked has begun. The health system does not always know their telephone number, so, during the week, approximately 1.2 million elderly people will receive an invitation by ordinary mail to present themselves for vaccinations. ASTRAZENECA: CHANGE FOR THE SECOND DOSE AND SUSPENSION IN MOSELLA
On 10 April, Health Minister Olivier Veran wished to reassure by recalling that the Astrazeneca vaccine has been received by tens of millions of people in Europe and that critical cases are very few, generally limited to the youngest. Astrazeneca is therefore confirmed for those over 55 years old, while for those younger than 55 who received the first dose (about 533 thousand between 6 February and 13 March) the High Authority for Health (HAS) on 9 April recommended that the second dose be of the mRNA type, i.e. Pfizer or Moderna. Veran himself, a 40-year-old minister of health, who received the first dose of Astrazeneca on February 8, will have to go through this procedure.
Furthermore, again according to the indications of the High Health Authority (HAS), in the Moselle department, on the border with Germany, for reasons of effectiveness on the South African variant which here has a higher incidence than in the rest of the country, (35%, the national average is 5%) mRNA vaccines, i.e. Pfizer and Moderna, will be preferred to Astrazeneca. The rule also applies in the overseas departments, Mayotte, Guyane, and La Reunion, which have an incidence of the variant between 40% and 48%.
In France, on Saturday 9 April, the intensive care units hosted 5,769 Covid patients, out of a total of 8000 beds available. Students are on vacation for two weeks, until April 19, and then resume lessons in the presence, except for high school students, who will remain in distance learning until May 3, the date on which the national (soft) lockdown of 4 weeks.
