This Monday, the Minister of Health and neurologist Olivier Véran set an example, by receiving one of the first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

This should make it possible to prioritize the immunization of caregivers under the age of 65.

Europe 1 went to Foch hospital in Suresnes, where the campaign began.

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Long awaited, the AstraZeneca vaccine begins to be distributed in the various hospitals.

A new stage is therefore opening in the fight against Covid-19, with the start of the vaccination of healthcare workers under the age of 65.

Indeed, this vaccine is not recommended for older people.

At the Foch hospital in Suresnes, in the Paris region, his arrival raised a lot of hope among the staff.

"I am very happy. For the time I have been waiting for it ...", François blurted out at the microphone of Europe 1, visibly relieved.

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This 56-year-old radiologist sees Covid patients almost every day and had been looking to get vaccinated for a month.

"We can feel a change of pace. I actually think that with the AstraZeneca vaccine, things go much faster than in previous weeks."

At the hospital, the doses were prepared in advance to keep up with the pace: a caregiver was vaccinated every five minutes on Monday afternoon.

"If I can eliminate Basic Covid already ..."

Outside the microphone, some are wondering about the choice of AstraZeneca, whose efficacy is lower than that of the Pfizer vaccine, especially in the face of variants of the coronavirus.

But given the health situation, any protection, even average, is good to take.

"I am already delighted to have access to the AstraZeneca vaccination", says a caregiver.

"If I can eliminate Basic Covid, and all I have to do is watch out for variants, that will be a big step forward."

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Above all, this vaccine is much easier to store, rejoices Sophie, head of the hospital pharmacy: "The Pfizer vaccine, once taken out of the freezer, can be kept for five days in the fridge. There, the AstraZeneca vaccine is kept. exclusively in the fridge. "

She says that her current stocks could be used to vaccinate 1,000 caregivers and that all the slots are already reserved.