Guest of the 1 p.m. television news on TF1, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran returned to the government's objectives concerning vaccination against Covid-19 and deconfinement.
Update on his main statements.
Towards "a peak as soon as possible"
Hospital pressure increased further over this Easter weekend, with more than 5,300 Covid-19 patients in intensive care, according to daily figures from Public Health France.
There were precisely 5341 people in the intensive care units of hospitals on Sunday, against 5273 the day before, and 4872 a week ago.
This indicator is closely monitored by the health authorities, who fear hospital congestion, in the middle of the third wave of the novel coronavirus epidemic.
"Every day on average 40,000 French people are diagnosed positive for Covid", recognized Olivier Véran on TF1, making the distinction between two areas of France.
On the one hand, eastern France, with "very high hospital pressure but a weaker epidemic dynamic" and, on the other, western France, where the situation is the opposite.
This "comforts us in the idea of having applied to the whole country the sanitary restrictions", greets the Minister.
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He also said he hoped "for a peak (of the epidemic) as soon as possible, that would mean that we would have stopped the epidemic".
“It is possible in all cases that we approach (the peak of the 1st wave), also conceded Olivier Véran.
We know that in the next three weeks, the number of patients in intensive care will continue to increase.
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"No logistical problem" to vaccinate
"I made the choice of proximity", also proclaimed the minister, concerning the vaccination campaign, recalling the existence of "1700 centers distributed on all the territory" which will "continue their missions, even amplify them".
“Vaccinodromes will only be a complement to this system of centers.
(...) We have made the choice to vaccinate just in time, as soon as vaccines arrive, they are sent to centers, so there are inevitably times when there are no more doses in the fridges ”.
While 2 million French people were vaccinated last week, and evoking a "visibility for each center from 4 to 6 weeks", he insists: "We have no problem with logistics, we have an issue of vaccine delivery .
"We will receive 12 million vaccines", also anticipated Olivier Véran, who announces that "the objective of 10 million first-time vaccinated" in mid-April should be "anticipated by a few days".
According to him, "the stake is not to know how one vaccinates (...) but to have the vaccines which arrive in greater number".
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When vaccination is aimed at the entire population, another challenge will emerge then, also pointed out the minister: "The stake at the beginning of the summer will be less to meet the demand of the people to be made. vaccinate than to look for people who hesitate to be vaccinated (...).
It will also be necessary to convince, to seek people who hesitate.
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What about priority officials?
The minister said he was working with his counterpart at National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, to quickly define a vaccination plan for teachers.
"By the end of April, we hope to have offered vaccination to teachers working with children with disabilities," he explained, stressing that this is a public with which gestures barrier are particularly difficult to respect.
Then, he unfolds, should be concerned "all teachers and national security forces", and "at the same time as we vaccinate people by age priority".
At what deadline?
Olivier Véran says he refuses to "commit to a specific day", but ensures that "can have several priorities at the same time".
"Reasons to hope" for deconfinement in four weeks
The new anti-Covid 19 restrictions affecting the whole of France are planned "at this stage" to last four weeks, according to government spokesman Gabriel Attal, who added that the President of the Republic could speak again in front of the French "by the end of the month".
"There are many reasons to hope for these four weeks," said the Minister of Health.
"We are vaccinating hard and fast," he added, highlighting the hoped-for occurrence of a "more virtuous spiral" with "the hot days which will return, which are less conducive to the circulation of the virus".
"Each minister works under the conditions of a reopening of terraces and restaurants, cultural places ...", also argued Olivier Véran.
AstraZeneca: a “very positive” benefit / risk balance
Regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine, of which several countries have chosen to suspend the use due to the occurrence of serious adverse effects, of which it is not known whether they are formally linked to the injection, the minister only considered that the "best proof of confidence, these are the tens of thousands of vaccines ordered by doctors or nurses ”.
He portrays a "vaccine that is known to be very effective and safe", and even though, according to him, "you can never be too careful".
"Today, health and scientific authorities say that the benefit / risk balance is very positive."
"Levers for caregivers"
Faced with testimonies from poor caregivers faced with the resurgence of the epidemic, the minister listed several "levers to help them": "overtime", the mobilization of the private sector "as never before", a strong "call for health reserve ”, particularly among students and retirees, as well as a“ decree which increases by 50 to 100% ”the remuneration of caregivers who commit and the deprogramming and postponement of care.
"Today, 8000 resuscitation beds are armed and we continue to increase them", announced the minister, who underlines that it is "not useful to go overnight to 10 000 beds, because the consequences would be too hard for other patients.
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