Olivier Véran in front of the National Assembly on Tuesday January 12, 2021. -
AFP
The Minister of Health responded on Tuesday to questions from the committees of the National Assembly and the Senate on the government's vaccine strategy.
Faced with him, concerns about the slowness, possible shortages, and questions about the prioritization of the public and the caregivers who will be able to vaccinate.
To summarize these two meetings, "20 Minutes" answers five questions which were submitted and repeated to the Minister.
Olivier Véran has not finished hearing criticisms of the slowness of vaccination.
Hearing the same day by the Social Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., then by the Senate Social Affairs Committee, from 5 to 6 p.m., on the government's vaccination strategy, he began his remarks by wish a happy new year… and “that we can talk about something other than the virus”.
Then he responded to the questions and concerns, varied and redundant, of the elected officials of the two chambers.
20 Minutes
recaps the main information to remember, through questions asked this Tuesday.
Why such slowness?
Anticipating criticism, the Minister of Health reminded the deputies that “the National Assembly and the Senate have debated the vaccine strategy.
The nursing homes federations asked us for a little time during the holidays.
You know and we know that the priority issue is the support of citizens.
Our strategy has not changed, the timetable has been accelerated.
We hope to have vaccinated more than a million French people by the end of January.
"
Some MEPs, however, expressed doubts about this ambitious goal.
And Jean-Pierre Door (Les Républicains) was not the least caustic: “After the masks and the tests, when we compare ourselves, we are not reassured, given the slowness at the start of the vaccination.
Which has also irritated the country, the media and even the President of the Republic.
Several elected officials from both chambers have raised fears of shortages.
Stéphanie Rist (LREM) to ask: “we have arms to vaccinate, arms to vaccinate, can you ensure that we will have the doses?
"
“We had 1.8 million doses of Pfizer last week,” said the minister.
We will be supplied up to 500,000 doses per week, then 1 million.
Yesterday we received 50,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
We have 3.3 million needles and 4.6 million syringes in stock.
"
Before the senators, the minister specified that the acceleration could be facilitated if the European health authorities authorized the marketing of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which submitted a request to Europe on the same Tuesday, because France should receive 3 million of doses.
Who can be vaccinated?
Many questioned the prioritization proposed in December by the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS).
Jean-Pierre Door thus suggested rapidly vaccinating "patients with long-term illness, 10 million people, who can be easily reached through sickness funds".
A concern repeated by other colleagues.
"We are going to open the vaccination for those under 75 who suffer from disease exposing them to the risk of co-morbidities," Olivier Véran promised.
Alain Fisher [the Mr. Vaccination] will finalize the list of diseases.
"
Bernard Perrut, LR deputy, also suggested opening up vaccination to elected officials and ministers, to "set an example".
"For me, exemplarity is to wait your turn," retorts the minister.
I am a doctor, under 50 years old, I do not get vaccinated.
The day it opens, I'll be happy to protect myself against this virus.
"
Who can vaccinate?
For the moment, there must be a doctor to vaccinate in the city as in the hospital.
A limitation that worries many elected officials.
Especially for medical deserts… Will nurses and pharmacists soon be able to join the national effort, they who ask?
"When we have vaccines that can be stored between 2 and 8 ° C, easier to use, we want to rely on the entire territorial network and therefore all caregivers, unveiled Olivier Véran.
I am awaiting the opinion of the HAS within the framework of a cooperation protocol which will allow us to rely on all health professionals.
"
It was clearer before the Senate: vaccination in pharmacies should be possible.
"We know how to do in our country, especially for the flu," he recalled.
What transparency?
For the minister, this transparency must be a “standard”.
Monday, for the first time, the Directorate General of Health published on its site the number of French people vaccinated: 138,000 on January 11, with details by region.
"I asked that every day at 7:30 pm be published the data we have: number of vaccines performed by region, percentage of the population vaccinated, doses used in open access, announced the Minister.
We have one case of an allergic side effect.
Which corresponds to what we see abroad.
"
Why choose private?
Adrien Quatennens (LFI) supported the government's choice to have paid a private consulting firm to refine this vaccine strategy.
" How much does it cost ?
Do you confirm the amount of 2 million euros per month?
»A question ousted by the Minister in the Assembly.
And repeated in the Senate.
The minister replied that the sums spent, without specifying the amount, come from his ministry and will not weigh on the Social Security budget.
Senator Catherine Deroche (LR) questioned how these councils are put in place.
"The McKinsey cabinet, and others, are supporting us in the conduct of the project," said the Minister.
It supports other ministries of health abroad, it does not shock me, it is the tradition in our State to operate like this.
These are varied advice, we are in the pure operational.
All major decisions, such as the prioritization of audiences, are the responsibility of the ministry.
"
Adrien Quatennens also criticized the partnership with Doctolib to manage the vaccination centers: “A private company can therefore file any person passing through its services.
Why this choice of the private sector in defiance of the public service?
The minister confirmed that three private providers offer digital solutions for making appointments.
“We should have built everything from scratch when we have French players, like Doctolib, who are working well?
Would it be "dirty" because it would be private?
It is not at all my vision of France ”, he retorted.
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Olivier Véran