• The ministry recognizes that the pace of vaccinations slowed down in early August.

  • But he hopes that appointments will accelerate with the prospect of the start of the school year.

  • In particular thanks to the vaccination campaign organized in schools and the vaccination obligation of caregivers from September 15.

Only two weeks left to reach the ambitious goal set by Jean Castex: 50 million first-time vaccines at the end of August.

Is the bet tenable?

The Ministry of Health was confident during a press conference on Tuesday noon.

According to the latest vaccination figures, the goal seems "attainable", he says.

Without hiding, however, that appointment scheduling has slowed down since early August.

58% of the population is fully vaccinated

As of August 16, 46.5 million French people have received at least one injection (i.e. 69% of the total population) and nearly 40 million now have a complete vaccination schedule (i.e. 58.5% of the total population), according to the reports. latest figures from the Directorate General of Health.

The ministry has detailed this vaccination coverage by age group: 84% of those 80 and over have received at least one injection, 87% of those 50 to 80 years old and 52% of 12/17 year olds.

As for people who suffer from comorbidities, making them particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, 81% of them had received a dose on August 1.

With great disparities depending on the pathologies.

But the pace slows down at the beginning of August

The number of first-time injections per day is around 100,000 this week, compared to 150,000 at the start of the month. Is it a sign that we've reached a glass ceiling? "It is not an exhaustion, tempers the ministry. It is not negligible to make 100,000 first injections in the middle of August. But we insist: this slowdown is not due to a lack of doses, but to a decrease in demand. “Clearly, there are places in vaccination centers everywhere in France, summarizes the Ministry of Health. We can consider that the boost effect, after the announcements of Emmanuel Macron, begins to weaken. "

But the government hopes for a remobilization as early as next week. With the return from leave of some caregivers and many French people as well, as well as with the prospect of the start of the school year, making an appointment could take off again. "There remain 3.5 million French to be vaccinated so that we reach the target of 50 million, calculates the ministry. It would suffice that we have a rebound effect with the prospect of the start of the school year. It remains a collective challenge, but everything is in place to succeed in achieving it. "

For this, the ministry is working on several axes: a reflection to seek out the unvaccinated over 80s and far from the health care system, vaccination campaigns in shopping centers, high-traffic areas and workplaces where they will arrive. "From August 27, large quantities of vaccines."

In particular, large deliveries from Moderna, which should drop from 600,000 doses each week to 2 million.

A vaccination campaign in schools

Above all, the ministry hopes that the vaccination campaign organized in the school environment will make it possible to reach an important pool: adolescents, especially those from the most recalcitrant families. In what form will this campaign be organized and with what arms? The ministry, in conjunction with National Education, regional prefects and regional health agencies have defined two methods. Or a deployment of mobile teams in schools: pharmacists, nurses, first responders from vaccination centers will be redeployed by the ARS, given that the school health services do not have the staff to manage this campaign. Second possibility: a group meeting in a vaccination center, like a school trip.

But does this mean that parents will not have a say?

"With regard to minors under 16, vaccination will be subject to the collection of parental consent in a sealed envelope, because national education is not intended to know these medical data", assures the ministry.

What about caregivers who will soon have to be vaccinated?

Another big subject: the question of the vaccination of caregivers, which becomes compulsory from September 15. Did Emmanuel Macron's announcement encourage some to take the plunge? Difficult to say for the moment, but the ministry welcomes a "good progress in the vaccination of caregivers". According to Santé Publique France, which carried out a study in early May, coverage has improved significantly. In fact, the proportion of those who received at least one injection rose among the liberal staff from 76% to 90%, among the staff of medico-social establishments from 51% to 82% and in the public and private health establishments of 64% to 80%. Figures that could be higher today, since these data are from August 8. "We can expect a catch-up by September 15,date on which caregivers risk being suspended if they are not vaccinated, ”concludes Olivier Véran's entourage. Important clarification: caregivers who have received a single dose on September 15 will have until October 15 to complete the process.

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  • Covid 19

  • Anti-covid vaccine

  • Coronavirus

  • Health

  • Vaccination