Like England, France had opted for the strategy of the first dose: until now, the priority was to administer a first dose to as many people as possible.
Full immunization coverage could wait.
But the highly contagious Delta variant, dominant in England, thwarted this strategy across the Channel.
Among our neighbors, the number of contaminations is rising worryingly, to such an extent that on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson postponed for four weeks the lifting of the last restrictions.
To read also Covid-19 in the United Kingdom: "We were not up to the task", accuses the ex-adviser of Boris Johnson
To avoid the same fate, the French government is correcting the situation: the second injection of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine can take place only 21 days after the first instead of 35 until then, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
Advance your appointment, it will be possible
"It will be possible in the coming days on the booking platforms, once they have implemented it", one explains to the Parisian.
It will also be possible for those who already have an appointment and who would like to bring it forward.
At the latest, a period of 49 days must not be exceeded.
You hesitate to get vaccinated in June because you will be on vacation in July?
Do not hesitate.
We are modifying the appointment systems to allow you to schedule your reminder between 21 and 49 days after the 1st injection.
- Olivier Véran (@olivierveran) June 15, 2021
The reason is twofold: to further simplify the organization of vacations for French people who leave their place of residence, and to deal with the spread of the Delta variant against which two doses seem to remain very effective.
"We are in a race against time with the variants, and it results in particular in an acceleration of the vaccination", insists the entourage of Olivier Véran.