Jean Castex exposes Thursday, November 3 the government strategy on vaccines, a decisive step that the executive does not want to miss in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic, after having stumbled on the masks and the tests.
While the United Kingdom on Wednesday became the first country to approve the massive use of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, which will be deployed as early as next week, the French government also intends to take this turn but cautiously.
"It will not be a compulsory vaccination strategy but a strategy of conviction and transparency,"
Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed Tuesday.
Read also: Covid: do we have "no scientific data" on vaccines?
Mistrust of vaccines is indeed stronger in France than among its neighbors.
And
"we have little perspective"
on the
"first generation"
vaccines
, which must be stored between -80 and -20 degrees and require complex logistics, recalled the Head of State.
Two major phases are envisaged.
A first
“highly targeted”
vaccination campaign
between late December and early January for priority people, followed by a second
“larger”
campaign
aimed at the general public, between April and June.
The government should follow the
“five progressive phases”
recommended Monday by the High Authority for Health (HAS), starting with the elderly living in nursing homes and at-risk employees of these establishments.
A
"Mr. or Mrs. Vaccin"
"There is apprehension, this is normal since we have never released a vaccine so quickly, but we need"
the vaccination.
"It will be the responsibility of the public authorities to convince the French to reassure them, to do a lot of teaching,"
sums up Prime Minister Jean Castex.
The latter assured Wednesday to have
"pre-ordered what to vaccinate 100 million people"
.
He will hold a press conference at the end of the afternoon with his ministers of Health Olivier Véran, European Affairs Clément Beaune, and Industry Agnès Pannier-Runacher, which will be very educational on vaccines, with a
"big transparency on the purchasing process ”
, according to those around him.
In addition to the logistical and educational issues, the caution is guided by the fact that the vaccines seem to prevent the development of the Covid-19 disease, but it is not known for how long and if they also prevent the transmission of the virus.
The first step is to reduce the health impact of the disease (hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and death).
For the
"control"
of the epidemic, it will
be
necessary
"to wait until the studies establish the proof that the vaccines have a possible effectiveness on the transmission of the virus"
and that their availability
"is sufficient"
, underlines the High Authority of Health.
To pilot this complex device, the government does not rule out appointing a
"Mr. or Mrs. Vaccine"
, according to a government source.
Read also: Covid-19: massive tests planned in three metropolises in France
The executive does not want to miss the vaccination campaign that would allow him to forget his past management of the epidemic, with its hiccups on the masks or its delays on the tests.
A report by the Assembly's commission of inquiry into the management of the crisis, led by the LR right, overwhelms the government and its
"poor leadership"
.
LREM denounced a
“partial and partial report”
.
The Prime Minister welcomed Tuesday in front of the deputies of the majority of health results
"among the best of Europe"
even if
"they are not yet sufficient"
, suggesting a further relaxation of the restrictions on December 15.
Jean Castex should specify in this regard the
"gauge"
retained for religious ceremonies, after having mentioned
"6 m² per faithful"
, against 30 people maximum currently.
But the government remains vigilant as the end of year holidays approach, which could promote the circulation of the virus.
In this regard, he will launch, perhaps before Christmas, massive Covid-19 screening campaigns in Saint-Etienne, Le Havre and another city in the North.
He also intends to better control the isolation of sick people, without excluding sanctions.
On the closure of ski resorts, Jean Castex said he considered a seven-day isolation for French people returning from skiing abroad, with random border controls, sparking an outcry in the opposition.