The executive has ruled: vaccination will be compulsory for caregivers and other staff in contact with fragile audiences, Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday evening during a televised address, a few hours after the holding of a Defense Council health at the Élysée.
"We must move towards the vaccination of all French", justified the President of the Republic, specifying that the question of "compulsory vaccination of all French" will arise then.
"All nursing and non-nursing staff in hospitals, clinics, retirement homes, establishments for people with disabilities", as well as "all professionals or volunteers who work in contact with the elderly or fragile, including at home.
The first checks and sanctions will be effective from September 15.
Emmanuel Macron's announcement is not really a surprise.
The subject had been on the table for several days.
Imposing vaccination on caregivers is "a very likely hypothesis," the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, warned on Sunday.
Compulsory vaccination for caregivers "is a line of thought" to boost the vaccination campaign, he said the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran.
Caregivers who are insufficiently vaccinated
According to the most recent data published by Public Health France, 81% of private healthcare workers were vaccinated with at least one dose of vaccine against Covid-19 in early July. "Vaccination coverage for professionals working in nursing homes and USLDs (long-term care units) are estimated at 61% for the first dose and 45% for a complete vaccination", also wrote Public Health France. According to a previous study, vaccination coverage was particularly low among nurses and caregivers.
At the end of May, 63.5% of health professionals had received at least one dose (41.2% had received two), according to a survey carried out by Public Health France with several establishments. Vaccination coverage is particularly low among nurses and caregivers. It is also very low among nursing home staff, as the scientific council was alarmed last week.
Does the vaccination obligation for caregivers pave the way for a broader obligation? Michel Barnier, potential presidential candidate (LR), and François Bayrou, head of the MoDem, have already suggested to impose it on "everyone". The Academy of Medicine, considering that the "principle of a vaccination based on voluntary service today reveals its limits", considers "the vaccination obligation against Covid-19 (as) the only realistic option in terms of personal accountability and solidarity commitment allowing (…) to achieve collective immunity ”.