Paris (AFP)
The High Authority for Health (HAS) on Tuesday recommended a booster dose of the Covid vaccine to all people 65 years of age and over as well as to those at risk of serious forms.
"After analyzing the available data, the HAS offers a booster dose with an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna, editor's note) for people 65 years of age and over, as well as for people with comorbidities that increase the risk of the forms serious of Covid-19, "said the authority in a statement.
The Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced Monday evening on BFM TV an upcoming vaccine booster campaign for this public, larger than initially envisaged, while saying to wait for a confirmation from the HAS.
On August 12, the Ministry of Health confirmed a recall campaign (third dose for people who have already received two injections, second for those who had only needed one) for around 5 million people: residents of nursing homes and long-term care units (USLD), people over 80 living "at home", as well as patients "at very high risk of severe form" of Covid and patients "immunocompromised ".
He then "seized the HAS, August 18, 2021, on the opportunity to extend to other populations this recall campaign", specifies the authority in its press release.
The comorbidities exposing to an increased risk of severe form of Covid (diabetes, obesity, etc.) concern a much larger population than people "at very high risk", which refers to a restricted list of diseases.
"We could start at the beginning of September," Olivier Véran said Monday, while specifying that "there would necessarily be a delay of at least six months between the 2nd and the 3rd injection".
For the HAS, "the priority for the coming weeks is to do everything possible to increase vaccination coverage, in particular in the over 80 age group for whom complete vaccination coverage remains insufficient (79.9 %) ".
The authority proposes to "simplify the vaccination course" of the people concerned "by administering the vaccine against influenza and that against Covid concomitantly" from the end of October.
The HAS also recommends a booster dose with an mRNA vaccine for people who have had the single-dose Janssen vaccine and recommends this booster "from 4 weeks after the first injection".
© 2021 AFP