From Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) to Douai (North) via Saint-Lô (Manche), the French shun the AstraZeneca vaccine, worried about its possible - very rare - side effects, sometimes fatal.
A lack of love that questions the need or not for France to continue the purchase of this vaccine.
"There is no questioning of firm orders on our side, sweeps the cabinet of Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Industry.
Our position is still the same: we ask that the doses that have been ordered be delivered.
"
As a reminder, Europe has reserved 300 million doses for the first half of 2021, including 44 million just for France.
But this schedule will not be kept since, according to the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, the Anglo-Swedish laboratory has delivered 30 million doses out of the 120 million planned for the first quarter and that it will only deliver 70 million. , out of the 180 million contractually signed for the second quarter.
A quarter of injections
If the government ignores the moods of certain French people, it is because it has no real choice. First, because this vaccine, validated by all the competent health authorities, represents a quarter of daily injections. According to data from Public Health France, as of April 17, just over 3.4 million AstraZeneca doses have been used, out of the 4.6 million delivered until Sunday, April 18. "It's a race against time," recalls the Ministry of Health. If we take a vaccine away, we protect fewer people. "
Then, what to do with the millions of doses of AstraZeneca that France no longer wants?
On this subject, the European Commission, contacted, is categorical: “All the doses provided for by the advance purchase agreement concluded with AstraZeneca have all been purchased by the Member States, recalls Brussels.
They own the vaccines and decide how to use them.
In other words, it would be complicated for France to cancel part of its order.
On the other hand, the member states "have the possibility of giving or reselling these doses to other countries".
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However, if the French government maintains its confidence in him today, not sure that this will be the case in the longer term. At the end of last week, Agnès Pannier-Runacher said on RMC that it was likely that the European Union would not renew its contracts with the Swedish-British group in 2022. “We have no no discussions with Johnson & Johnson and with AstraZeneca for a new contract, where we have already started discussions with Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, ”she said.
This weekend, Thierry Breton hit the nail on the head: “We are pragmatic.
My priority as a vaccine manager is that those with whom we contract deliver exactly on time, or even more.
"Pfizer / BioNTech, which is first in the class, was thus confirmed on Monday a European order for 100 million additional doses.
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This distrust of the French towards AstraZeneca is taken very seriously within the executive and should be on the menu of the Defense Council which is being held this Wednesday.
