Illustration of a grandfather hugging his granddaughter.
-
Pixabay
On Saturday, there were 5 million French people having received an injection and 2.2 million both injections, or 4.1% of the major population vaccinated.
Since Saturday, residents of nursing homes can once again receive their loved ones and go out.
But health authorities and caregivers recommend maintaining barrier gestures even after being vaccinated.
20 Minutes
explains why.
"I'm coming back to get you, I knew you were expecting me," sang Catherine Ringer on Friday evening during the Cesars ceremony.
A song that makes a perfect soundtrack for the commercial that the government has been broadcasting for a few days to encourage vaccination.
We see a grandmother dreaming, during her injection, of finding and hugging her grandchildren.
Without mask.
"For the moment, even vaccinated, let's continue to apply barrier gestures and wear the mask," concludes the spot.
A contradictory message?
Why should barrier gestures be maintained even after being vaccinated?
When can we find our relatives vaccinated?
The spot is not to the liking of caregivers who get impatient while the doses always arrive in droplets.
AstraZeneca has just announced further delays in deliveries and the DGS warned on Sunday that general practitioners would only receive one dose this week.
# COVID19 #Vaccination |
Because we all dream of meeting each other, let's get vaccinated.
📲 All the info on who can get vaccinated and where on: https://t.co/eDB9QmAl74 pic.twitter.com/NHNbaG6f1l
- Ministry of Solidarity and Health (@Sante_Gouv) March 9, 2021
More serious, this tearful spot risks scrambling the message.
After a year of loneliness and phone calls, the lucky few who have obtained the precious serum hope to hug their loved ones as soon as possible.
Not to mention the nursing home residents who can, since Saturday, receive their loved ones and walk with them.
But when can we see our grandparents, parents, friends vaccinated without taking any risk?
"It depends on the vaccines," underlines Mylène Ogliastro, virologist and researcher at INRAE ​​in Montpellier.
For messenger RNA vaccines [Pfizer and Moderna], we start to be protected from three weeks after the first injection.
“Indeed, a study by British researchers suggests that the Pfizer vaccine would give 90% immunity against Covid-19 in a single dose after 21 days.
“In general, this is the moment when we receive the second injection, so as long as we do, we might as well wait for this moment, advises the virologist all the same.
In older people, this immune response is slower than in younger people.
We've been waiting for a year, it's worth the wait for that extra month to get optimal coverage.
"
What about AstraZeneca?
The Haute Autorité de santé recommends an interval of 9 to 12 weeks between the two doses.
A British study has revealed an effectiveness in preventing severe forms of Covid-19 of 76% and 82% after a second dose injected three months later.
Ideally, you should therefore also wait for the second injection.
The question of transmission
Beyond the date, remain the conditions in which we can find ourselves.
And in particular the question of the mask, which limits understanding and signs of affection.
Benoît Pilmis, infectious disease specialist at Saint-Joseph hospital in Paris explained to
20 Minutes
during a report in this hospital that “the vaccinated must maintain the wearing of the mask.
At the moment, we do not know if they can transmit the virus.
The data is reassuring, but not formal.
"
"Even when the protection of serious forms is acquired, the other stake is to control the epidemic", adds Mylène Ogliastro.
Still, new data could change the situation.
Indeed, two studies, relayed by Sciences and Avenir, seem to confirm that Pfizer would have an effect on the transmission of the virus.
The first is based on data from the Israeli Ministry of Health and reveals that the Pfizer vaccine would reduce the risk of asymptomatic infection by 89.4% after the second injection.
The second was published in late February in the
New England Journal of Medicine
and believes that
the efficacy against asymptomatic infections would reach 90% seven days after the second dose of the vaccine.
A glimmer of hope that remains to be confirmed.
As for AstraZeneca, the transmission of the coronavirus would be reduced by 67% from the first dose.
Until when will the barrier gestures have to be maintained?
For the moment, the watchword remains vigilance.
Caution to be increased if you live in regions where contaminations are soaring.
"As long as the circulation is tense in an area, we must maintain the barrier gestures as much as possible to limit the circulation of the virus," continues Mylène Ogliastro.
This is how the variants that pose a risk to vaccination are generated.
Indeed, AstraZeneca would be less effective against the South African and Brazilian variants.
The hugs without a mask are therefore not for immediately ... Unless the people who meet are all vaccinated.
But getting across this message of maintaining vigilance when vaccine rhymes with a return to normal life for many is not going to be easy.
Especially since the French can no longer be patient.
"We're all fed up," admits the virologist.
But even with an enormous level of protection [97% for Pfizer and 95% for Moderna], there are still around 5% of people who are not protected, we cannot know in whom the vaccine will be effective or not.
Given the levels of circulation of the coronavirus at the moment in France, this risk remains non-zero.
For the AstraZeneca vaccine, the level of efficacy is lower, so you will need to be even more vigilant.
"
Our file on the anti-Covid vaccine
That is to say ?
“We will be able to see our relatives at risk without anxiety, touching each other, talking to each other, that seems a positive point to me,” she insists.
It is a respiratory virus, so we can prefer a walk outside, in addition the weather will be fine.
And you can hug yourself to avoid facial contact.
When a large majority of people are vaccinated, we can claim group immunity.
»Only then can we imagine an extended family lunch, without distance, mask and other constraints ...
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