“The pace will pick up.
Olivier Véran promised it again this Thursday evening.
The Minister of Health seems determined to take action very quickly, in the face of the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic fueled by the English variant.
He announced a "major vaccination operation" this weekend, the terms of which will have to be defined this Friday by the various regional health agencies.
“We have asked for the opening of vaccination centers and temporary centers in order to vaccinate all this weekend, explained Olivier Véran.
A number of people on the waiting list will be called by the centers to be vaccinated this weekend.
“Nice, for example, provides for 12,000 injunctions.
VIDEO. Covid-19: re-containment and new restrictions ... the announcements of Jean Castex
The Minister of Health confirmed that the AstraZeneca vaccine would henceforth be accessible to all patients aged 50 to 75 suffering from co-morbidities (and no longer only to 50-64 year-olds), in line with the recommendations of the High Authority for Health ( HAS).
He also confirmed the start of vaccination in pharmacies from March 15 and called on general practitioners to come and collect the doses ordered more quickly, on pain of being put back on the market.
20 million people vaccinated by mid-May
All-round measures intended to facilitate the arrival of doses in the arms of patients at a pivotal moment in the epidemic.
Thanks to this deployment, Jean Castex is giving himself a month and a half to take a decisive step in the campaign: "By mid-April, and subject to the laboratories delivering to us according to the schedule, we should have vaccinated first. injection of at least 10 million people, ie all of the vulnerable volunteers currently eligible for vaccination.
"
The Prime Minister then posts objectives of 20 million people "by mid-May" and "more than 30 million before the summer".
3.2 million people have already received their first injection and 1.7 million have also received the second.