The Order of Physicians of Moselle expressed Monday April 12 its "
incomprehension
" facing the decision of the ARS and the prefecture to continue to vaccinate with AstraZeneca, while the High Authority for Health (HAS) recommends no longer using this vaccine, too ineffective against the South African variant active in the department.
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It is "
incomprehension
", "
people keep calling their doctor
" and "
we are assailed
" by Moselle practitioners who do not know what to do, told AFP the president of the 'Departmental order, Dr Laurent Dap.
Pointing to an active circulation in Moselle, Guyana, Mayotte and Reunion Island of the South African variant, against which the AstraZeneca vaccine is too ineffective, the HAS had recommended Friday to "
continue to favor (in these areas) access
messenger RNA
vaccines
from Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, as well as the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), the fourth to have been authorized in Europe, when it becomes available.
35% of South African variant cases
In Moselle, the South African variant represented around 35% of the detected cases of Covid at the end of March, compared to an even higher proportion in Guyana, Mayotte and Réunion, where it is between “
between 40% and 48%
”, according to HAS.
But Sunday, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) Grand Est and the prefecture of Moselle published a joint statement in which they say they are continuing "
the vaccination campaign as it had been specifically initiated since February
", while favoring certainly messenger RNA vaccines, but continuing to use AstraZeneca's.
The proportion of South African variants in Moselle, which climbed “
to more than 55% a month ago
”, is “
now 30%
”, argue ARS and prefecture, a figure lower than that of the HAS.
This press release "
which we say is done as before, we do not change anything
" is a "
cold shower
", was annoyed Dr. Dap, who considers on the contrary "
that it is necessary to take into account the recommendation of the HAS
" .
"
Friday evening, I wrote to the Minister (of Health, Olivier Véran), supported by the National Council of the Order of Physicians
" to tell him that the Moselle "
should only have messenger RNA vaccines
", a he continued.
"
It is not serious to vaccinate with AstraZeneca
" when we know that the South African variant circulates in Moselle and that this vaccine "
is not effective
" against it, he estimated.
