A slight pass.
Aged 55, Jean Castex would normally have had to wait for the turn of his age group to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
But faced with the imbroglio around the AstraZeneca serum, the Prime Minister announced earlier this week that he would lead by example.
“He hadn't done it until then because he didn't want to give the impression of having a pass.
But given the context on the AstraZeneca, he believes that it is now necessary to restore confidence and set an example, ”we are told in Matignon.
It is now done, since at the beginning of the afternoon this Friday, shortly after the green light the High Authority of Health for a resumption of the AstraZeneca vaccination but only in the over 55 years, the resident of Matignon, like his Minister of Health Olivier Véran a few weeks ago, received his injection.
It was shortly after 2:30 p.m. that Jean Castex arrived at the Bégin military hospital in Saint-Mandé (Val-de-Marne) to receive the first dose, under the watchful eye of the cameras.
"I congratulate you, I felt absolutely nothing and I must admit that I am a little cozy", declared the Prime Minister to the nurse who administered the injection of the AstraZeneca serum to him.
Then Jean Castex immediately left the hospital room, without making any additional comments.
Enough to restore confidence?
Because restoring confidence to the French in this vaccine is now essential for the executive, which has built a large part of its vaccine strategy on the Swedish-British serum with a thwarted history.
At first, it had in fact been suspected of being less effective in those under 65, before being suspected of causing cases of thrombosis in various European countries.
"I said to myself that it would be wise for me to get vaccinated quickly as soon as the suspension is lifted and all the guarantees will be provided," Jean Castex explained on Tuesday on BFMTV.
It will be about showing my fellow citizens that vaccination is the way out of this crisis and that we can go there in complete safety ”.
He also repeated this promise when reconfiguring for a month nearly 21 million French people this Thursday evening.
An assumed communication operation, which took place the same day as that of Boris Johnson across the Channel, also vaccinated this Friday.
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VIDEO.
AstraZeneca: "I will be vaccinated tomorrow", promises Castex
In France, as elsewhere, the administration of AstraZeneca was in fact suspended for three days, pending further investigations and an ultimately favorable opinion issued on Thursday by the European Medicines Agency.
Still, these multiple reversals around this vaccine could leave traces in public opinion.
Because in a few weeks, the product has nonetheless gone from a vaccine considered ineffective for those over 65 to a potentially problematic serum for those under 55.