Saint-Jean-de-Védas (France) (AFP)

The first "vaccidrive" in France, allowing you to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by appointment, while staying in your car, opened on Tuesday in Saint-Jean-de-Védas (Hérault), on the outskirts of Montpellier with a goal of 100 doses per day of Pfizer.

"The initiative comes from the Saint-Jean clinic which proposed this project to the prefecture and the Regional Health Agency (ARS) a few weeks ago, telling us that they wanted to launch this experiment", a explained to AFP Alexandre Pascal, departmental delegate of ARS Occitanie.

"The idea is to offer an additional means of being vaccinated", he said, stressing that the "drive" whose endowment will be "modest" in its beginnings - 200 doses per week -, adjoins a center of "classic" general public vaccination opened at the Saint-Jean clinic since January.

The ARS is "really in the logic, there is a need to vaccinate, all goodwill is welcome", he adds.

"We have to see if the supply meets the demand".

The configuration of the premises "lends itself to this experiment", explains to AFP Lamine Gharbi, president of the federation of private hospitalization and of the Cap Santé group to which the Saint-Jean clinic is attached.

This clinic moved in 2020 from its former site in the center of Montpellier to settle in premises equipped with car parks located along the A9 motorway.

"Today, we are seeing the appearance of nosocomial Covid infections so leaving our fellow citizens on the sidelines of the establishment should reassure", adds Mr. Gharbi who "hopes to reach 100 doses per day" in this new device.

On a practical level, after making an appointment and arriving by car in the dedicated parking space, candidates for vaccination will follow the same steps as in a conventional center: verification of registration, medical questionnaire, if necessary. medical consultation, vaccination carried out by private doctors and nurses paid by the session then monitoring time.

"The real big difference is that people do all of this in their vehicle," notes Pascal.

The people eligible for this vaccination are the same as in the general public centers: people aged 55 and over without comorbidities and people at high risk of life (transplanted, dialysed or under chemotherapy in particular).

"Vaccidrives" have been set up in the United States or in Italy as part of the fight against the new coronavirus.

© 2021 AFP