The deputy departmental director of the Haute-Garonne fire and rescue service, Colonel Christophe Landrieau, during the anti-Covid vaccination.

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B. Colin / 20 Minutes

  • Since the start of the coronavirus health crisis, the Haute-Garonne firefighters have intervened in 1,600 suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19.

  • While Olivier Véran extended vaccination to this profession over the past week, the first firefighters over 50 were vaccinated on Monday.

  • Of the 2,387 professional and volunteer firefighters in Haute-Garonne, 500 are over 50 years old.

Since March, they have intervened more than 1,600 times for cases of Covid-19.

Like the nursing staff, the 1,300 volunteer firefighters and 800 professionals of Haute-Garonne have been "on the front line" since the start of the health crisis.

This Monday, less than a week after Olivier Véran's announcement to extend vaccination to fire and rescue personnel over 50 years old, the first firefighters of Haute-Garonne were vaccinated in Colomiers.

By the end of the week, some 60 of the 500 firefighters meeting this age criterion will have received their first injection.

Others are expected to follow in the coming days.

"There is a real desire, because it is an additional tool for securing personnel during interventions, but also victims", notes Colonel Sébastien Vergé, director of Sdis.

#vaccination This Monday morning, at #Colomiers, the vaccination campaign for firefighters over 50 years of @ sdis31officiel started.

About sixty should be vaccinated this week.

pic.twitter.com/Mg6cJ8h2mN

- 20 Minutes Toulouse (@ 20minutestoul) January 11, 2021

In total, a hundred confirmed or suspected cases were counted among the members of the departmental service.

Some were infected within the family, others in barracks and nothing excludes that this may have been the case in the context of their interventions.

"Today, it remains difficult to trace, there could have been cases of interpersonal contamination, of private origin, there is in any case a permanent listening and a follow-up", assures the chief doctor of Sdis, Thierry Dulion.

Speed ​​up vaccination

After a prevaccinal assessment, where he mentioned his allergies and the PCR tests he underwent during the first wave, Xavier, a 51-year-old firefighter, successfully carried out his first anti-Covid vaccine.

“It makes sense to do this, personally, but also professionally.

We have to think about protecting victims when we intervene, but also about maintaining services.

If we are all sick, how do we ensure it?

», He asks.

If some of his colleagues are reluctant, nearly 120 concerned staff have already volunteered.

But everyone hopes to step up a gear soon, and that everyone who is in favor can have access to the vaccine.

“While Britain has already vaccinated more than 1.5 million people, we are barely reaching 100,000, it is very little.

If we want to reach the 15 million vaccinated, we will have to accelerate and increase to 100,000 per day over six days a week.

It's important and necessary, it's the only way out, ”concludes Georges Méric, the president (PS) of the departmental council, co-administrator of Sdis 31.

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