A vaccination in Toulouse, illustration -

FRED SCHEIBER / SIPA

  • In France, measures are accumulating to accelerate the pace of vaccination.

  • After having notably increased vaccination last weekend or opened vaccination to pharmacists, a proposal is made to also allow veterinarians to vaccinate.

  • But behind these measures, many hiccups seem to show that the slowness of vaccination is not playing out there.

Everything had started so well.

Last week, Prime Minister Jean Castex and Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced a massive acceleration of vaccination.

Pharmacists obtained the right to vaccinate in turn, while the weekend of the announcement, a massive vaccination was deployed in France: 200,000 doses on Saturday, and 100,000 on Sunday - 20 times more than the previous Sunday.

What to believe, the time of a few days, has a real start of the machine and finally a "full-blown vaccination" against the coronavirus.

And then Sunday evening, the enormous disillusion took place, in the form of an email from the Directorate General of Health at past 10 p.m.

"It will not be possible to take orders for doctors given the number of doses delivered by AstraZeneca", doses allocated to pharmacists.

While the deputy Loïc Dombreval asked Olivier Véran for an authorization so that the veterinarians can vaccinate in their turn, the question arises.

Are not all these measures smoke screens to make believe in an acceleration of vaccination when the doses are desperately limited?

The dreaded February stopper again

"In any case, this is what we can fear," sighs Doctor Jérôme Marty, president of the French Union for Free Medicine: "There is a desire to give an impression of movement or to increase the figure. all horsehair in the short term.

He takes the example of the vaccination campaign in January, which had suddenly accelerated ... because the doses reserved for the second injection (the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines require two doses) were used to vaccinate more people for the first time (the first-time injections).

A result not without consequence, since in February, the number of first injections had fallen sharply, because the available doses were devoted to making second injections.

Result, a logistical headache and a low number of people vaccinated for the month of February.

And this is a bit of what is feared with a massive use of doses this weekend, including an overwhelming majority of first-time injections (186,400 first-time injections out of the 202,000 doses this Saturday).

In fact, the number of people who have received at least one dose of vaccine in France increases suddenly, but this can subsequently lead to a slowing down of the whole machine.

Less sparkle, more regularity

"Instead of having spectacular punching actions made for communication, it would be much more effective to have a clear line and stick to it", pleads doctor Jérôme Marty.

Doctor Michaël Rochoy was on the vaccination front this weekend.

Following the email from the DGS this Sunday evening, he believes that he could have finally vaccinated the same number of people in total without having to work in addition on weekends at the last minute.

“Not to mention that this weekend, it was the fastest to register for Doctolib who were vaccinated, and not necessarily the highest priority.

We can doubt such a process, ”he pleads.

Jérôme Marty is annoyed: “By changing the protocol every two days, we risk demobilizing and discouraging caregivers.

There is a general fed up with this lack of a clear line, this Sunday's email is just the last straw.

And beyond the caregivers mobilized, it is above all the patients who suffer from it.

Appointments deprogrammed, postponed, advanced, delayed ... Difficult to see clearly, and easy to be discouraged.

Result, "we must simplify all that, put transparency on the stocks of vaccines so that we can finally predict and reassure the patient on his vaccination date and time", pleads Jérôme Marty.

One dose problem, no arm

The same goes for opening vaccination to other caregivers.

“It is obviously a good thing, but to make believe that it will accelerate the vaccination, it is false.

There is a lack of dose, no arms, ”adds Michaël Rochoy, who still does not know if he will be able to hold his vaccine appointments this Thursday for lack of dose, or if he will be able to order some - or not - for the week. of 22. An illegibility that weighs heavily: "We have few doses and in addition it is an administrative challenge to know when and if we have them," he sighs.

“We want to work together, doctors, pharmacists, nurses, etc., but we still need power, and feed everyone,” continues Jérôme Marty.

Because everyone assures us, it is not the will or the know-how that is lacking.

“When we have enough doses, we will vaccinate with all our hands, says Michaël Rochoy.

This is the problem that must be resolved, the rest is more communication than the solution ”.

And the real concern is that no one can say when exactly this dose problem will be fixed.

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