More than 2 hours of waiting in the cold: the vaccination coughs at the start, in the 13th arrondissement of Paris

"

" says Raymonda, angry.

While the first appointments were set for this Monday, 1 p.m., the doses are still waiting at the Bertheau vaccination center, in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.

This retiree is far from being the only one in this case.

They are more than ten to wait in front of the center.

Here nothing has been planned to accommodate seniors, who have to wait standing and in the cold.

Read also: To be vaccinated or not to be vaccinated: what is the most risky?

With several weeks behind its German and British neighbors, France launched its vaccination campaign this Monday, January 18.

Although for the moment it only concerns people over 75 years old outside nursing homes, delays have accumulated.

After the bugs during the registration phase, it was the turn of the vaccination itself to experience a delay in ignition.

“

” breaths Annick, another retiree, in the queue.

Some even prefer to give up for today.

Others take their troubles patiently, too marked by the difficulties encountered in recent days to make an appointment.

Suddenly at 3:20 p.m., the door opens.

Everyone rushes to the gate, at the expense of safety distances.

Unfortunately the employee who comes out announces that nothing has been delivered for the moment and that we will still have to wait.

Powerless, she can only promise that the vaccinations will start as soon as the doses have arrived ...

Unevenly prepared vaccination centers

Two metro stations away, in the vaccination center of the town hall of the same arrondissement, the atmosphere is quite different.

Here no queues or waiting in the cold.

The future vaccinated are welcomed on the second floor, under the gold of the marriage room, with chairs and dedicated staff.

Jérôme Coumet, the mayor (PS), is pleased to have, with his team, been able to prepare the premises at the last minute, despite instructions according to him "

": "

”he explains.

Here the doses arrived "

" two hours late, so the vaccination could start earlier than at the Bertheau center.

The organization is already well established: people are called in turn, a town hall employee picks them up and accompanies them to the place where they are injected with the first dose of the vaccine.

The operation lasts only a few minutes, after which the vaccinees are kept for a quarter of an hour to check that no complications appear.

Then they can go home, not without being offered in passing, in addition to the certificate, some surgical masks as well as a senior guide from Paris.

Read also: Vaccination: logistics being broken in

Satisfaction is essential at the exit.

If this is only the first injection of the two needed, the impression of having taken a big step forward dominates.

"

" assures Tom, in his nineties.

Same story for Marie-Paule, a former pharmacist.

If she admits to having "

", she says she is happy to have been vaccinated.

However, both remain worried about new mutations that keep appearing, and hope to know quickly if the vaccine will protect them.