One day after the corona vaccination requirement for nursing and rescue workers came into force, around 3,000 non-vaccinated people were released from duty in France.
Several dozen employees have also quit, said Health Minister Olivier Véran on Thursday the RTL broadcaster.
"But many now want to be vaccinated because they notice that the vaccination is actually mandatory," he explained.
Restrictions for patients are not to be feared.
A total of 2.7 million people are affected by the compulsory vaccination, said Véran.
These include, for example, the staff of hospitals, nursing homes and firefighters.
You have to have been vaccinated against the coronavirus at least once since Wednesday and twice from mid-October.
Otherwise her contract will be suspended and the salary will not be paid.
According to information from the AFP news agency, the numbers could actually be higher than Véran said.
In around 15 public hospitals alone, 1,500 employees have already been released from duty.
The newspaper Le Monde reported this week, referring to the directorates of several large clinics, that a vaccination rate of 95 percent had already been achieved there. Nevertheless, problems are feared if, in view of the already tight staffing levels, hospital staff have to be sent home because they are not vaccinated. In certain functions it is very difficult to replace staff, said the Association of University Hospitals in France.
Those currently affected are mainly active in the support service, there are very few medical staff among the non-vaccinated, said the minister. With a view to the pandemic, there is also good news. The situation has "improved significantly" because of the massive vaccinations and the respect for distance rules. There are currently an average of around 10,000 new cases a day, 30 percent less than in the previous week, said Véran. The number of intensive care patients is also falling.
France shows how incentives for vaccinated people and compulsory vaccination for certain occupational groups can improve the vaccination rate. There, around 80 percent of all residents over the age of twelve are now fully vaccinated. France has thus overtaken Germany. And the rate is even better than that of the British, who have long been a role model with their campaign. However, as in Germany, the rate of vaccination has recently slowed down considerably. Currently, just under 63,000 people receive their first dose of vaccine every day, at peak times it was more than 400,000 a day.