Vaccination of a caregiver in Dijon, December 27, 2020. -

PHILIPPE DESMAZES-POOL / SIPA

  • A week after the start of vaccinations, just over 500 people were vaccinated against the coronavirus in France. 

  • The government, accused of having implemented a strategy that is too slow, has set itself the objective of achieving the vaccination of one million people at risk by February, and 27 million by the summer.

  • Can he do it?

    Yes, because solutions to accelerate vaccination exist, estimate Pascal Crépey, epidemiologist at the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health in Rennes, and Caroline de Paw, director of the URPS doctors of Hauts-de-France.

A "state scandal".

The president of the Grand Est region Jean Rottner strongly blamed, this Monday, the slowness of the vaccination campaign against the coronavirus in France.

A small sentence that swells the concert of increasingly audible criticism which targets government strategy, while a little more than 500 people were vaccinated on January 1.

In reaction, the government has multiplied the messages in recent hours: a "follow-up meeting" of the vaccination organized this Monday at the Elysee Palace and the promise, last night, of the Minister of Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari to arrive to vaccinate 27 million French people by the summer.

This Monday, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran affirmed that "several thousand vaccinations" have been carried out in the country.

The goal of one million people vaccinated by the end of February "will be met", for his part assured Wednesday the government spokesman, Gabriel Attal.

Given the slowness of the process, can the government achieve its objectives?

Caution on the vaccinodrome

Yes.

“The Pfizer vaccine requires quite extensive and very demanding logistics.

All this requires rapid coordination and resources that did not exist until now, ”she explains.

But the administration is "in the process of accelerating the deliveries of super-refrigerators to keep it and improve the logistics plan," she said.

For this fragile vaccine, "the concept of" vaccinodromes "would have been particularly suited to facilitate these storage and conservation issues", adds Pascal Crépey.

"But this is not the strategy adopted by the government, because of the bad experience of the H1N1 flu epidemic of 2009".

When it comes to vaccinating the general population, the researcher recommends creating vaccination centers to "allow those who do not have an attending physician to go easily to be vaccinated when they wish", in order to relieve the liberal medicine network and avoid bottlenecks.

"Having everything there, doctor and vaccine, that could make things easier," he adds.

The essential attending physician

Halfway, Caroline de Paw rather sees groups of doctors in certain territories.

“We remain convinced that talking to our usual doctor makes sense, it helps to convince.

Professionals from the same territory are already organizing themselves to offer facilitated vaccination locations.

It should be able to be organized intelligently, as we have already done on the PCRs.

"

On this point, the two specialists agree: the city doctor, a major player in health, must be involved in the vaccination process.

“It requires organization in terms of logistics but it is possible because the vaccine can be stored for five days.

If the doctors vaccinate enough, there should be no problem with expiration, ”reassures Pascal Crépey.

“In the medium term, we will have vaccines other than this one, which require much less logistics, like that of Moderna.

City offices will be able to vaccinate and vaccination will be simplified, ”says Caroline de Paw.

The great unknown

Another solution within reach of the government: the involvement of pharmacists in the injection of the second dose.

“The first injection cannot be done in pharmacies, however the question may arise for the second dose.

If the patients did not have an allergic reaction the first time, it is unlikely that the reaction will occur when the second dose is injected, ”explains Pascal Crépey.

Recourse to pharmacists which would increase vaccination capacities, thanks to the network of 22,000 pharmacies located in the country.

This solution may be added to the government's vaccination strategy, which is already adapting little by little: this week, the question of the deadline has been simplified and now allows you to be vaccinated immediately after giving your consent.

Olivier Véran also announced that nursing staff over 50 or with comorbidity will be able to be vaccinated as a priority, a measure which also includes general practitioners.

For Caroline de Paw, however, there is still an unknown: the adhesion of the population to the vaccine.

"We hear everything and its opposite, we do not yet know if our offices will be empty or if there will be a crowd," explains the doctor.

“Everyone wants to move on, we all want new days, but you also have to allow yourself time to do things correctly.

"

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