Nina Droff, edited by Yanis Darras 8:45 p.m., December 09, 2022

As the end-of-year celebrations approach, vaccination against Covid-19 is finally taking off, in parallel with the increase in cases of contamination.

In French pharmacies, patients rush to receive their injection, despite the doubts and weariness of some.

The call is frank and clear.

This Friday, the Minister of Health François Braun called on the French for a "jump in vaccination", as the end of year celebrations are fast approaching.

But according to data from Public Health France, the authorities' concern has already been heard by citizens.

In the space of eight days, the number of people who came to receive a reminder against Covid-19 has doubled. 

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In this Parisian pharmacy, the crowd is visible.

Standing between the shelves filled with medicines, a dozen people wait to receive their calls for vaccines against Covid-19.

For a week, the appointments have multiplied in the pharmacy. 

No more slots available

"Every day, we are saturated. I have no more appointments available for this week", notes Jérémie, the pharmacist.

"When we have a niche between two patients, we try to vaccinate an additional person, especially since we receive above all people aged over 60," he explains at the microphone of Europe 1. 

Because many of them hesitated before finally taking the plunge.

This is the case of Gisèle and Jeanne, 73 and 66 years old.

The two women thought long and hard about taking their fifth dose, but finally decided to do so in the face of the rise in Covid cases.

"It's safer"

"We want to take a little trip and then we are told that it is coming stronger and stronger, faster and faster, so we said to ourselves: 'we are going to do it anyway,' explains Gisèle.

"But, without too much cheerfulness all the same. It's been five times that we've been vaccinated, it's still a bit much," she gets annoyed. 

"I'm seeing my whole family for the end of the year, so it's safer for me to get vaccinated," adds Jeanne.

"And then, I also do it so that I no longer hear my children tell me to go do it", she quips at the microphone of Europe 1. And to cope with the crowds, the pharmacy has decided to open new slots to satisfy all requests.