In the opinion of all, the vaccine remains the safest horizon against Covid-19, which has experienced a significant rebound in recent days.
Thursday evening, while declaring the placement in enhanced vigilance of 20 departments subject to an epidemic outbreak, Prime Minister Jean Castex also announced news for the vaccination schedule.
People aged 65 to 74 will be able to be vaccinated "at the beginning of April," he promised.
That is 7.15 million people who, until then, were in the blind spot of the government's vaccination strategy.
Because this age group is currently not eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine, as recommended by the High Authority for Health (HAS), but it also does not have access to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna serums, reserved for over 75s as well as 50-64 year olds with co-morbidities.
For Dominique Costagliola, epidemiologist and biostatistician, announcing a calendar is good… respecting it is better.
“Currently, those over 75 are supposed to be able to get vaccinated.
But try to book an appointment in Ile-de-France: impossible!
I understand the need to give the French a horizon, but first you have to make sure you have the right doses, ”says the research director at the Pierre-Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health in Paris.
"We depend on the manufacture and delivery of doses ordered by the European Union and we will have to be patient," admitted Jean Castex.
AstraZeneca rehabilitated
The Prime Minister has requested a new opinion from the HAS on the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Until then, the body did not recommend it for the over 65s for lack of sufficient data.
However, for 48 hours, various reports of neighboring countries on the British-Swedish serum concur to think that it would be effective and well tolerated in the elderly.
Thursday, Professor Alain Fischer, the government's vaccine man, referred to a Scottish study involving 400,000 people vaccinated.
It reveals that AstraZeneca offers protection of more than 90% and can be recommended “beyond 80 years with good effectiveness”.
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"We were approached by the Ministry of Health for a reassessment of the AstraZeneca vaccine," confirms the HAS.
However, the famous Scottish study, as well as others, American and British, "allow it from now on".
However, no time limit for the outcome of this review has been specified.
"An encouraging sign", welcomes Alain Fischer, for vaccination in France.
Now, 80% of nursing home residents have received a first dose, “two-thirds of those over 75 will be vaccinated at the end of March”, and “in mid-May, all people over 50 will be vaccinated. will be offered a first injection ”, also announced Jean Castex.
According to figures released this Friday by Public Health France (SPF), 2.6 million have received at least one dose, or 4% of the population.
“And we have encouraging information this week on vaccination […].
The support of the population is increasing: it went from 54% in November to 57%.
Among those over 75, the first indicators show a decrease in the incidence, hospitalizations and reports of cases in nursing homes, ”underlines Laetitia Huiart, scientific director at SPF.