• The appearance of a variant of Covid-19 has been at the origin of a cluster since last Friday in the Bacalan district in Bordeaux.

  • To fight against this mutation, a specific vaccination center opened its doors on Wednesday.

  • But many residents who showed up were unable to access it, after a communication hiccup on the appointment setting.

The Regional Health Agency (ARS) and the mayor of Bordeaux Pierre Hurmic made the trip this Wednesday, for the opening of the Bacalan vaccination center, set up to fight against the variant at the origin of a cluster in the neighborhood. The purpose of this trip, was to come and praise the merits of the “great reactivity” of all the actors to eradicate this mutation of the British variant, which has already infected sixty people in this district of 8,000 inhabitants. But nothing went as planned.

Dozens of residents of the neighborhood responded well to the call for vaccination, launched by the authorities.

Except that they were convinced that we could go without an appointment to the vaccination center installed in the premises of the neighborhood animation center, as announced Tuesday by the ARS.

However, it was necessary to make an appointment, and only 70 doses of vaccine equipped the center, for this first day of vaccination.

"I will not leave without my vaccine"

“I came, and I don't have that to do, gets angry very quickly a resident of the neighborhood. We took our afternoon for nothing! But above all the ARS said that it was without appointment, and here we are told that it is by appointment. So now that we're here, take us! I won't leave without my vaccine. »« I took my afternoon to come and get vaccinated, adds another inhabitant. And it was marked without an appointment. I don't want to run all over Bordeaux to find a vaccine. I want to get stung this afternoon, as was planned. "

"It was marked on the Internet that we could come today and tomorrow without an appointment," explains, annoyed, Malika, another local resident.

We arrived early to get a place, and there we were told no.

I came after the appeal made because of the variant in the neighborhood, we talk about it a lot even if it doesn't scare me more than that.

Like others, Malika decides to turn back.

“It's the big disappointment, and I'll try to call this afternoon to make an appointment.

"

“Don't tell people to go elsewhere!

"

“There is a misunderstanding about the vaccine access system, explains the ARS, but vaccination lines dedicated to the inhabitants of the Bacalan district, are open from this Wednesday in several vaccination centers in the metropolis, in particular the one. de Bordeaux-Lac [located not far from Bacalan].

Neighborhood pharmacies will also have additional doses from Thursday.

Our wish is to vaccinate as quickly as possible and we hope that this device will be effective and meet demand.

"" Here it is exclusively by appointment, confirms the person in charge of the mega vaccination center, but people can go to Bordeaux-Lac without an appointment.

"

Our vaccination dossier

“The organization of the screening, which was done 200 meters from here, was at the top, but here you are not responding to the promise that was made, accuses another resident.

You can't fire people like that.

You invite us to get vaccinated, don't tell people to go elsewhere!

"

"A quack on communication"

To those who complain of not having been able to reach anyone to make an appointment, the director of prevention of Bordeaux Métropole Philippe Latrille assures that “as of this Wednesday morning there were six operators to answer, the 70 appointments which were scheduled this afternoon were taken. So, indeed there may be saturation because it is the first day and there is a very strong demand. There was a hiccup on communication, everything must be back to normal from Thursday, and there will be five possible vaccination lines between the mega center and here, we should be able to absorb everyone. "

"We communicated very quickly at the start, when the telephone platform was not in place, explains Pierre Hurmic," and people thought that we could come without an appointment, but I can tell you that 'we reinforced the telephone service of the town hall to help make appointments.

"

5,200 people from the neighborhood contacted by phone or SMS

Those who managed to make an appointment were very satisfied.

Like Freddy, 38.

“We talk a lot about the variant in the neighborhood, so I wanted to come and get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he explains.

Indeed, I managed to have an appointment even if it was long, since it took me over an hour of waiting on the phone before someone picked up.

"

Some 19,000 doses have been released to fight specifically against this variant, called VOC 484K, already identified at the national level but for the first time at the origin of a cluster in the district of Bacalan.

They must be transported between this vaccination center and that of Bordeaux-Lac where the vaccination chains have been strengthened.

Pierre Hurmic explains that the municipality “informed 5,200 people of the neighborhood [which has about 8,000 including 6,000 adults according to the mayor] by phone and SMS, giving them a phone number so that they can come to be vaccinated as soon as possible. .

He also believes that everything should be back to normal on Thursday.

“The goal is to vaccinate very quickly, we hope in three weeks, and to eradicate this variant.

"

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  • Aquitaine

  • Covid 19

  • Coronavirus

  • Bordeaux

  • Vaccination

  • Cluster