Proof of the urgency of the situation, the government did not waste a second, announcing the "good news" before the publication of the opinion of the High Authority for Health, in charge of the vaccine strategy, expected this Tuesday.
While AstraZeneca's serum was previously reserved for 50-64 year olds, with risk factors, now it is extended to 65-75 year olds with co-morbidities, ie 2.5 million more French people.
As for Pfizer and Moderna, it is still dedicated to people over 75, administered in vaccination centers.
"There were holes in the racket, conceded the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, who spoke on Monday evening at the JT of France 2. Today, the High Authority of Health considers that all vaccines are remarkably effective in protecting severe forms ”.
If, since the beginning of February, the 65-75 year olds had not had access to that of AstraZeneca, the third authorized in Europe, it is because the health authorities lacked data on its effectiveness in an older public.
Except that they arrived over the days, especially from neighboring countries.
A study is reassuring
In addition, a few days ago, a Scottish study of 400,000 immunized people is reassuring.
It notes that, four weeks after the initial dose, the level of protection rises to more than 90% and that it can be recommended "beyond 80 years with good effectiveness", reported Professor Alain Fischer, the government's “Mister vaccine” a few days ago.
As early as February, the High Authority for Health had warned, it could review its copy, depending on the progress of knowledge.
It is therefore done, a month later.
"This announcement does not surprise me, until then the precautionary principle applied", notes the infectious disease specialist Benjamin Davido.
Thus, 50-75 year olds, suffering, for example, from diabetes or hypertension will be able to receive their doses in the office of their general practitioners and within "a few days" in pharmacy, specified the Minister of Health, in order to accelerate the pace of the campaign.
Other information, those who had the Covid, a few weeks ago, only need one dose of Pfizer or Moderna, which will allow them to recover additional injections.
"In March, we plan to offer a first vaccination to 6 million French people, this will be nine million in total since the start of the campaign", detailed Olivier Véran.
When will you have immunity?
Can this reversal of strategy make it possible to go faster while the epidemic situation is deteriorating and new measures are expected in twenty departments?
"I am not sure, whether we give it to one age group or another, the problem of the quantity remains the same, we do not have enough", leans Morgane Bomsel, researcher at the CNRS at the Cochin Institute.
But a new antidote, now authorized in the United States, could soon arrive on the European market, that of Johnson & Johnson, which is simpler and more effective in one dose.
"This may not make it possible to speed up the campaign, but we will diversify the number of vaccines and therefore improve the strategy and the strike force", summarizes infectious disease specialist Benjamin Davido.
According to him, it will be necessary to be patient until all the French are immune.
The doctor does the count.
“If nearly 2.6 million have received a first dose in two months, it will therefore take fifteen months to protect all of the most vulnerable.
"
