France recommends a 3rd dose of anti-Covid-19 vaccine for those over 65 and vulnerable
A Guadeloupe resident receives a dose of the anti-Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech, in Pointe-à-Pitre, August 6, 2021. © Cedrick Isham Calvados, AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
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The French High Authority for Health (HAS) recommended Tuesday, August 24, a booster dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 to all people 65 years of age and over as well as to those at risk of serious forms.
According to the government, which had already multiplied communications in this direction, the campaign "
could start at the beginning of September
".
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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
”, indicates the authority in a
press
release.
The French Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced Monday evening August 23 a next
vaccination 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 only needed one) for about five million people.
This concerned residents of nursing
homes
(establishments for the elderly) and long-term care units, people over 80 living "
at home
", as well as patients "
at very high risk of severe form
". Covid-19 and "
immunocompromised
"
patients
.
The ministry 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.
Comorbidities exposing to an increased risk of severe form of Covid-19 (diabetes, obesity, etc.) concern a much larger population than people "
at very high risk
", which refers to a restricted list of diseases.
Campaign starting "
early September
"?
"
We could start at the beginning of September,
" Olivier Véran said Monday, while specifying that "
there would necessarily be a period of at least six months between the second and the third 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-19 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 four weeks after the first injection
".
With AFP
►
To read also
: Covid-19: the United States definitively approves the Pfizer vaccine
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