If half of the French have received a dose of vaccine, it would be interesting to know who are the unvaccinated.
While the Delta variant is gradually settling in France, raising fears of a rise in cases, only 62% of diabetics, particularly at risk, have received two injections.
The French Federation of Diabetics has looked into the unvaccinated, and their concerns.
If many doctors and ministers evoke a possible fourth wave and that vaccination seems to be marking time, the profile of the unvaccinated, it seems essential.
If we are talking about young people in good health, recently infected with Covid-19 and therefore immune, the risk of ending up with overwhelmed resuscitation services remains low.
On the other hand, if it is French people with factors of fragility, the situation changes.
On France Info Monday morning, Alain Fischer, the “Mr. vaccine” of the government, warned: “there are still many vulnerable people who are not vaccinated”.
This is the challenge for the next few weeks: while the Delta variant, more contagious, colonizes France, the most vulnerable must be convinced as a priority to be vaccinated.
Among them, people with diabetes are on the front line.
A third of patients who died from Covid-19 were diabetic
“Faced with Covid-19, these patients paid a heavy price: 30% of the dead were diabetics, underlines Jean-François Thébaut, vice-president of the French Federation of Diabetics.
However, all the data show that vaccines reduce the risk of having a severe form.
“Especially when diabetes (which affects at least 3.5 million French) are added other comorbid factors such as obesity, hypertension or heart disease.
Knowing that three quarters of type 2 diabetics (90% of patients) also suffer from obesity.
Another worrying parameter: "Faced with the worrying development of variants, we see a change in the distribution of severe forms: the patients are younger," warns Charles Thivolet, president of the French-speaking diabetes society. And several studies confirm that in the face of the Delta variant, two injections are effective in protecting against severe forms.
However, a significant portion of these French people are not vaccinated.
How much precisely?
“As of June 27, 75% of people with diabetes had received a first injection and 63% both,” explains Marguerite Cazeneuve, from Assurance Maladie.
These rates are higher than the general population (50% and 32% respectively).
But these results are considered insufficient.
There are still 900,000 people with diabetes who are not vaccinated!
This is why understanding the reasons for this refusal appears essential to better convince them.
A survey, carried out by the French Federation of Diabetics and unveiled this Monday, provides some answers.
About 15% recalcitrant
Conducted in April and May with more than 3,500 people suffering from diabetes, it focuses on the experiences and beliefs of these patients, 44% of whom also suffer from hypertension, 27% from obesity and 16% from heart problems. Another precision, 30% say they have unbalanced diabetes, another unfavorable factor in the face of Covid-19. Finally, an interesting detail, 79% of respondents have not had Covid-19, when 10% have tested positive or had symptoms. "Of these respondents, 63% were vaccinated, 25% awaiting their injections and 11% did not wish to be vaccinated", specifies Nicolas Naïditch, sociologist and head of Diabetes LAB, who designs and carries out studies on the daily life of diabetics .
More generally, around 15% of respondents said they were opposed to vaccination against Covid-19. Figures that can be found on the side of Health Insurance. Nurses call some diabetic patients to talk to them about vaccination. And if most are already convinced, “1% of calls allow you to make an appointment; it seems very weak but each appointment taken is a battle won, assures Maguerite Cazeneuve. We find 16% refusal to make an appointment. The stake is to find arguments for these people very at risk of developing a serious form ”.
Surprisingly, the most favorable to vaccination would tend to be men, with a high level of education and a high socio-professional category and few comorbidities.
"The problem is as follows: people for whom vaccination offers an extremely favorable benefit / risk balance are the least inclined to be vaccinated, so it is a public health issue", summarizes the sociologist.
Why this mistrust?
67% of those surveyed believe that vaccines are effective.
But only 51% think they have enough information about side effects.
What actions to put in place?
"There may be something to do to better communicate the safety of vaccines," continues the one who conducted the investigation. But also on the fact that vaccines are not contraindicated in the case of treatment against diabetes. We need to make the information clearer to an audience that has had few studies. And disseminate it on social networks, where many of these people get information.
If the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam) has already implemented actions to "go to" this recalcitrant public, it wants to spend the second. By launching this week information for pharmacists, so that they find elements of language to explain the efficacy, safety of vaccines and the collective responsibility at stake. A webinar, always for pharmacists, should moreover to be organized next week, always with this objective. "We think that pharmacists are the most able to convince: they are trusted professionals, who know who is diabetic, since they deliver the treatments", continues Marguerite Cazeneuve. At the same time, the CNAM is trying to provide attending physicians with a list of their patients who are not vaccinated. But for the moment,the CNIL seems reluctant.
But how many of these unvaccinated diabetic patients are undecided and antivax?
"We think that in these 15%, there are people that we can convince, assures Marguerite Cazeneuve.
The more we advance, the harder it is.
But these efforts are worth it.
Jean-François Thébaut also wants to believe that this work of conviction, which can also go through associations, will bear fruit.
“Contrary to what we thought, the epidemic is not over, he regrets.
It is extremely important to mobilize to avoid beliefs around the vaccine.
Especially since we have seen that this could change considerably.
The distrust in January vis-à-vis messenger RNA has turned into infatuation.
Focusing on the remaining 15% also means working on future recalls.
"
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More than 70% of French “at risk” received a first dose
Health Insurance publishes, on the Covid Vaccine Data site, the vaccination rates of French people by age, but also by pathology.
As of June 27, 71.4% of people aged 18 and over suffering from at least one serious and / or chronic pathology had received a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
But the Cnam has identified two pathologies for which it will be necessary to accelerate: obesity and psychiatric illnesses.
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Live better with your diabetes
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