Like the mandatory health pass to go to a restaurant or cafe, will the government end up changing its mind regarding the booster dose of the anti-Covid vaccine?
Receiving it could end up becoming essential if we want to keep our precious sesame, (once again) warned Gabriel Attal on Wednesday, at the exit of the Council of Ministers.
"It's a track that is gaining ground, without any decision being taken at this stage," he said.
The government wishes to keep the possibility of imposing the health pass in all or part of the territory until July 31, according to the bill currently being debated in Parliament.
But for several days, the question has been raised as to whether the booster dose will end up being necessary as part of a "complete vaccination schedule", necessary to have the health pass (this is also possible by presenting a negative test or if we had the Covid between 6 months and 11 days earlier).
Read also Health pass and vaccination: will the booster dose end up being mandatory?
The debate is all the more topical as the beginnings of an epidemic resumption are being felt.
The incidence rate increased by 11% in one week (before being disrupted by the end of reimbursement of tests for the unvaccinated - with exceptions), while the numbers of hospitalizations and admissions in critical care of patients diagnosed with Covid-19 have been stable or even increasing slightly in recent days.
"We are seeing the beginnings of a slight rebound" but "there is no need to panic" thanks to the high vaccination coverage, said Gabriel Attal, judging "to have been right not to rush" to raise restrictions.
The health pass should initially remain in place after November 15, the initial deadline.
34% booster vaccination coverage
The very high vaccination coverage should protect us from a real epidemic "wave", at least as strong as the previous ones. But more and more studies agree to show that the effectiveness of vaccines decreases over months, especially against infection (it could remain very high against severe forms at least 4 or 5 months after the last injection).
Hence the importance of booster doses. For now, only people aged 65 and over, those suffering from co-morbidities, and caregivers are required to receive one (most often, this is a third dose). This represents nearly 20 million people, including more than 5 million who are eligible today because they were vaccinated at least one dose ago. But only 34% of them received an additional injection, the health ministry said yesterday. Insufficient, asserts the government. As he has often done, Gabriel Attal launched a “call to recall”.
In the medium term, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) deemed it “probable” that all adults would be called upon to receive a booster dose.
The Scientific Council should for its part be asked for an opinion on this subject of the mandatory booster dose to keep the sanitary pass.