For Daniel Floret, vice-president of the technical committee for vaccines at the Haute Autorité de Santé, it will be very difficult to convince the French to go and get vaccinated against Covid-19. The idea of injecting one virus to kill another is scary.
A recent poll shows that 32% of people questioned in France would refuse to be immunized if a vaccine against the coronavirus is produced. Is this worrying?
DANIEL FLORET. It's not surprising. Vaccines are unloved protectors in France. We start with this handicap. Membership of the anti-Covid-2019 vaccine, if there is one, is not at all acquired, which is why the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, already insists that a vaccine will only be offered if it is safe and effective.
The Australian Prime Minister wants to make it compulsory. Is he right ?
The case of Australia is very particular among Western democracies. There, we don't have the same vaccine culture at all. This country does not hesitate to use muscular methods. When families do not vaccinate their children, social assistance is withdrawn.
Despite everything, is this still a possible option in France?
It is for the moment totally excluded. But, for sure, the question will come to the fore. During the H1N1 flu epidemic, the question arose: the government asked us if we were recommending compulsory vaccination.
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What had been your response?
At the time, we said no. For two reasons: because we did not have enough perspective on the vaccine and because the peak of the pandemic had passed and it was not as worrying as we had feared. But if that hadn't been the case, our position might have been different. It all depends on the epidemic context.
Compulsory or not, how to convince the French to go there?
It's going to be a real headache, that's for sure! Everything that comes from the health authorities is systematically criticized. During the H1N1 flu, it was a failure, it was the first time that we tried to stop a pandemic with a vaccine. Result? Only 8% of French people have been vaccinated. And yet, France was not among the worst pupils.
What could be the way to overcome the obstacle?
By playing the game of transparency. In my opinion, before launching any vaccination campaign, independent authorities must come into play. This may be learned societies, perhaps we should think of a citizen consultation in the spirit of the one that was organized on the climate? All of these points have to be thought about very seriously. It will be the sinews of war.
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