The cost of tests, vaccines and other health expenses related to Covid-19 is estimated for 2021 "
between 9 and 10 billion euros
", well beyond the 4.3 billion entered in the budget, the director said on Wednesday. of Social Security.
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The bill for the epidemic continues to grow for Social Security.
The budget voted in December nevertheless included "
a provision of 4.3 billion euros
" to pay for tests, vaccines or even masks, but it was a "
hypothesis
" which "was
based on the fact that there will be no new wave in 2021
”, explained Franck von Lennep during a hearing by the deputies of the Committee on Social Affairs.
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Unfortunately, the third wave and the English variant have indeed swept over France, which has "
led to additional expenditure
", with more numerous tests (PCR and antigens) "
and over a longer period than what we are doing. could imagine,
"he said. The health crisis is also reflected in new"
additional costs in the hospital
"and"
an increase in daily allowances
"for
sick leave
.
Vaccine purchases
In addition, there are purchases of vaccines in large quantities: indeed, it was necessary "to
pre-order a very large number so as not to take any risk afterwards, if some prove to be available more quickly, or more effective than others
" .
In the end, "
we will probably be between 9 and 10 billion
" euros, he announced, stressing that this forecast was surrounded by "a
lot of uncertainties on what will be the additional costs related to the crisis in the second. semester
”.
This forecast should be taken up early next week by the alert committee on the development of health insurance spending, which had warned in mid-April of a "
serious risk
" of budgetary slippage.