Élise Denjean and Louis de Raguenel 6:39 a.m., September 15, 2021

The vaccination obligation for caregivers comes into force on Wednesday and they will have to justify at least one dose of the anti-Covid vaccine to go to work.

If they refuse, it will be suspension.

A delicate measure for the executive, while some 300,000 caregivers are still not vaccinated.

DECRYPTION

This is a turning point in French vaccine policy against Covid-19: as of Wednesday, caregivers will have to have received a dose if they want to continue working, as Emmanuel Macron announced last July.

If this measure does not embarrass a major part of caregivers, it nevertheless arouses the dispute of some of them, who refuse to receive an injection.

For the government, it is a question of "procrastinating" to avoid a sling.

What are the vaccination levels among caregivers?

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health, the vaccination coverage rate in health establishments now reaches 89%, as does the share of caregivers vaccinated in nursing homes.

The good students remain liberal caregivers: 95% of them received their first injection.

It is close to 100% among general practitioners and specialists.

There is one exception: 10% of midwives are not vaccinated.

Vaccination rates are even higher on Wednesday since the latest figures available date from Sunday evening.

In two days, many caregivers received - urgently - their first dose.

Are there any problems associated with this measure locally?

There are very few vaccine-resistant people left, but this can still cause problems in some establishments. There are a few examples of problems with this measure. In Montélimar, for example, the hospital will have to reschedule operations. There, a hundred caregivers refuse the vaccine and in particular three anesthetists, who are crucial positions.

"In view of the difficulties, we launched a general SOS", explains Henri Osman, president of the doctors of the hospital of Montélimar.

"For the moment, we have had an anesthesiologist who can come away for the next week, knowing that we need at least four anesthetists on site."

In this hospital, the HRD already receives health personnel who refuse to be vaccinated to discuss the rest beyond their suspension.

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Will the executive delay or sanction the refractory?

While some 300,000 healthcare workers had not received any dose on Tuesday evening, the executive will probably not be as firm as it claims. The government is indeed playing a balancing act: in front of the cameras, Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, will show firmness and sanctions, recalling that the refractories were warned. Concretely, there will initially be the staging of some sanctions or on the contrary of caregivers who have ended up being vaccinated.

On the other side, at the Elysee, we are procrastinating.

"We do not really want to show the sanctions, especially as the epidemic is on the decline," explains an adviser to the Head of State.

Within the executive, we do not forget that caregivers were heavily mobilized during the crisis and that they are poorly paid.

No need to add a layer, in short.

Moreover, could the government lift the constraints?

The executive is looking closely at the situation in Denmark: the country decided at the beginning of the week to lift all constraints, and even to get rid of the health pass.

Moreover, in ten days, the main players in the management of the health crisis in France will take stock.

They might consider lifting some restrictions.

In these conditions, why impose sanctions if certain constraints can be lifted?

Finally, there is a really political subject.

While Marine Le Pen is trying to establish himself as a defender of freedoms, the Elysee's instructions to several ministers are clear: no question of making Emmanuel Macron pass for a liberticidal president.